Students in the mountainous area of Tuong Duong cross mountains and forests to get to the opening day of school.

To attend the opening ceremony of the new school year 2024-2025, many students in the highlands of Tuong Duong district, Nghe An had to cross mountains and forests for a distance of dozens of kilometers. However, there were villages that were too remote, so primary school students could not attend the opening ceremony at school.

Mr. Thai Luong Thien - Head of the Department of Education and Training of Tuong Duong district said: Tuong Duong district has more than 18 thousand students studying at 55 schools, including 2 high schools, 17 kindergartens, 17 middle schools, 19 primary schools and 1 continuing education center. Most of the students in the district are children of ethnic minorities, of which the Thai ethnic group accounts for the largest number.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 1. — Students of Luong Minh Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities rehearse before the opening day

"Although the locality still has many difficulties in terms of material life and inconvenient transportation, the number of students dropping out of school in the past few years has been very low. However, before the new school year, many schools still have to coordinate with local authorities to make announcements and encourage children to come to school on the opening day. Even Luong Minh Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities mobilized half a month in advance," Mr. Thai Luong Thien shared.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 2. — Opening ceremony at Luong Minh Primary Boarding School

As a particularly disadvantaged school with the majority of students being of the Khmu and Thai ethnic groups, on the morning of September 5, the school solemnly held the opening ceremony of the new school year 2024-2025. This is a new school established in 2023 on the basis of a school in Minh Thanh village, Luong Minh commune, so the facilities are still very lacking.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 3. — Mr. Lo Van Son in Minh Phuong village took his grandson to the opening ceremony at Luong Minh Primary School for Ethnic Minorities. Mr. Son's house is nearly 15km from the school, so he and his grandson had to get up at 5am. His children work far away, so Mr. Son takes care of his grandchildren and takes them to school.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh - Principal of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities said: The school currently has 522 students, of which more than 300 have to stay at the school because their houses are too far away. Although it is a very important day, this morning, students from Ca Moong and Xop Chao villages could not attend the opening ceremony at the school. Students from these two villages have to go through 3 stages to get to school. First, they have to walk from the village to the hydroelectric reservoir, then take a boat for nearly 1 hour on the reservoir and finally "tang bo" by motorbike for another 20km to get to school.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 4. — Ms. Oc Thi Duong and Moong Thi Ngoc in Coi village brought their children to Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities to attend the opening ceremony.

Ms. Moong Thi Ngoc, in Coi village, Luong Minh commune, said: She and her husband are both Khmu people, their economy is still very difficult, but they are determined to send their children to school so that they can have a better life in the future. On the first day of school, Ms. Ngoc took a day off to go to the fields to take her children to school to encourage them before the new school year.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 5. — Teachers and students of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities on the opening day

Meanwhile, one day before the opening ceremony, the Board of Directors of Luong Minh Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities gathered all students at school. "Some students had to travel about 3 hours to get to school, so all students were present from September 4," said Mr. Tran Hung Thai - Principal of Luong Minh Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities.

Học sinh vùng cao Tương Dương vượt núi, băng rừng đến ngày khai giảng- Ảnh 6. — Chairman of the Women's Union of Thach Giam town and the Military Executive Committee of Tuong Duong district presented

In Tuong Duong district, before the opening day, organizations and benefactors also visited and gave gifts to many students in difficult circumstances. In particular, children with Godmothers were supported with material support before the new school year. This is a great source of encouragement to help them have confidence in their future studies.