Lai Chau The classroom in the shed leaked because of the downpour, making Ly Thi Lang's books wet; the teacher had to move the desk inside and place a basin to catch the water next to it.
Lang, 9 years old, Dao ethnic group, is a student of class 4A5, Nam Xe Primary Boarding School, Phong Tho district. Since the beginning of this year, Lang's class has been studying in the car shed, located in the innermost corner, behind the classroom building.
Because the classroom was cramped, the distance from Lang’s first desk to the board was only about a meter. On rainy days, water dripped onto the floor and corners of the walls, splashed onto Lang’s books and smudged his notebooks, so the teacher had to move his desk further back to avoid leaks. Next to Lang’s seat, the teacher placed a blue basin on the floor to catch rainwater. When the basin was full, the teacher and students took turns emptying it and catching more.
Studying with class 4A5 in the shed is class 3A2. Taking advantage of the light from the entrance, nearly 30 students in this class can see the board "a little clearer", but the space in the temporary classroom is still limited, forcing the desks to be placed close together.
There are no walls or partitions, the "artificial boundary" between the two classes is a blackboard placed on the table, which is also the teaching equipment of class 3A2. The aisle is only wide enough for one person to pass through, so the students of class 4A5, the class inside, often have to line up each hour to go to and from class.
The total number of students in the two classes is nearly 60, while the space of the garage is about 40 square meters. Meanwhile, according to Circular 13 of 2020 of the Ministry of Education and Training on school facilities standards, the area of a room for primary school students must not be less than 40 square meters.
In addition, the classroom must be fully equipped with standard tables and chairs, enough seats, lighting and fan systems, filing cabinets and teaching equipment. Compared to these standards, the temporary classrooms with a few light bulbs and the sound of rain falling on the corrugated iron roof drowning out the teacher's lecture in Nam Xe are not up to the mark in all aspects.
30 meters from the garage is the teachers' office (the council room), now the temporary classroom of class 3A1. With 32 students, the students are divided into 10 tables, three students per table. The remaining two students will sit at the computer desk, perpendicular to the board, making it harder to see.
Mr. Tran The Cong, homeroom teacher of class 3A1, said that last year, students from a remote school near the village had just moved to the central school at the beginning of this year. Studying at the center will help them participate in school activities more easily, and the facilities will be more complete, but because they are studying in temporary classes, the students face many disadvantages.
The desks in the conference room are not the type specifically designed for students, and are higher than most students. Students have to stretch to write. In the long run, their sitting posture will be affected. In addition, because this is also the IT room, whenever a class has this subject, Mr. Cong and his students have to move back to that class to study.
"Classes that require games are also difficult. I mainly let the students move in place, at most they stand up," said Mr. Cong.
Students in class 3A1 have to stretch to write because their bodies are shorter than their desks. Photo: Thanh Hang
The main reason for the shortage of classrooms in Nam Xe is the policy of sending students in grades 3-5 from remote areas to central schools, according to Mr. Nguyen Vuong Hung, Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Phong Tho district.
Students who come to the center will be cared for as boarding students, with guaranteed food and accommodation, helping to increase the rate of students attending school. However, when the number of students increased rapidly, Nam Xe School was overloaded, forcing them to add more classrooms to serve as boarding rooms.
Ms. Bui Thi Khuyen, Vice Principal of Nam Xe School, said that the central school currently has 518 students, of which 363 are boarders. Despite the large number of boarding students, Nam Xe School only has four rooms.
"The school's boarding facilities are very poor. The rooms are cramped, with three students per bed. It's cold in winter and hot in summer. The Red Cross used to sponsor beds, but we don't have space to put them," said Ms. Khuyen.
The patchwork of classrooms affects the quality and teaching activities of Nam Xe School.
Ms. Khuyen said that in addition to two classrooms in the shed and one in the council room, the school also has classes taking place in people's homes and the commune's cultural house. The temporary classrooms do not meet the standards of area and facilities required by the Ministry, affecting the students' sitting posture, eyesight and listening ability.
Not to mention, because they used the garage as a classroom, Nam Xe teachers had to park their bikes outside, along the school gate, some teachers had to park their bikes at local people's houses, paying 130,000 VND per month. During recess, because there were no rooms, teachers would rest with students in the library's book borrowing area. On days when there was a class in the library, teachers would "each sit in a different place" while waiting for recess to end.
Mr. Nguyen Vuong Hung said that the district has spent 9 billion VND to build a three-story building with 12 rooms for Nam Xe school. The new school is about one kilometer away from the current school and is expected to be operational next school year. However, even with these 12 additional classrooms, Nam Xe school still lacks 18 rooms, including functional rooms as required by the new general education program.
There are not enough classrooms so there is also a shortage of boarding rooms.
"During this time, the school's Steering Committee prioritizes students who are eligible for boarding. Those who have family or relatives around the school will be allowed to stay there but will still enjoy boarding policies according to regulations," said Mr. Hung.
The classroom at the parking lot of class 3A2. Behind the board is class 4A5, on the right there is a small path, just enough for one person to pass. Photo: Thanh Hang
Lo Thi Cuc, class 3A2, does not know when she will be transferred to a new school and live in a more spacious boarding room. Having just moved from the village to the central school at the beginning of this year, Cuc is the youngest in the class and sits at the front desk in the classroom in the car shed, less than 1 meter from the blackboard.
On a pouring rainy day at the end of September, Cuc and her friends were studying the lesson Forest in the Sun. The teacher was impatient but Cuc did not care at all. She said she loved going to school.
Hope Fund – VnExpress newspaper aims to build more boarding rooms for students of Nam Xe Primary Boarding School, Lai Chau. Readers can join the fund in the School Light program here.
Thanh Hang
Source link
Comment (0)