Haunted by worries about food and clothing
Nowadays, the country is innovating and opening up. Vietnamese people have many opportunities to work abroad. Foreign companies invest in the country to set up factories and enterprises, so ordinary workers can easily find jobs.
The vast majority of workers are no longer too concerned about finding a job with a stable income. In that general context, teachers' salaries become a low source of income, and from there, the role and position of teachers are no longer highly regarded by society as before.
To have money to live, many teachers today have to work hard in many jobs, from online sales to tutoring, extra classes... many of them have chosen to quit their jobs to find new jobs. For example, Mr. Le Van Quynh - Vice Principal of Ky Xuan Secondary School (Ky Anh, Ha Tinh) "escaped" his job, quit teaching to work in Korea, or Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Cong Huong (a mathematician) had to sell his scientific research to many universities to get money to support his wife and children.
The story of teachers struggling to make a living has stirred public opinion. The question of when teachers' salaries will be enough to live on, when teachers will be free to create and freely contribute their intelligence, remains unanswered.
More sadly, in society there are still negative prejudices when teachers "drop their chalk", there are still harsh "sentence" judging teachers when they have to sell their knowledge to have money to take care of their family and relatives.
Still devoted to students
Besides such sad stories, fortunately there are still examples of teachers who devote themselves to their students every day. They dedicate themselves wholeheartedly in the hope that one day their students’ lives and their own will be brighter.
The story of Mr. Truong Van Hien (born in 1989) - a Co Tu ethnic, teacher, Team Leader, Hoa Bac Primary School, Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang is a vivid example. People in this poor Central region in the Truong Son Mountains are familiar with the image of Mr. Hien on an old motorbike, carrying a bulky "candy-pull" speaker behind, going to schools every day to teach students good songs, guide them in studying, and practice discipline.
With a meager salary of more than 6 million VND, his life is still very difficult, but his love for ethnic children and students does not diminish but grows stronger day by day.
Talking to reporters of the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper, Mr. Truong Van Hien shared that Hoa Bac Primary School where he works has many schools. Among them, there are many schools in villages with a majority of ethnic people. Therefore, doing team work, organizing activities, and extracurricular activities for students is not as convenient as other subjects.
“ I have to go to each separate location. From the main school, I have to travel another 5 to 10 kilometers to get to the other locations. To grasp the students’ discipline and organize activities for them, I have to travel a lot every week, ” said Mr. Truong Van Hien.
Every time he comes to the schools, Mr. Hien has to wake up very early. Because the students' study time usually starts at 6:30 am. With a portable speaker, Mr. Hien is still like a hard-working bee coming to the students. Talking about the monthly salary he receives, his voice seems to sink. The actual salary he receives is 6.8 million, which he has to squeeze very hard to cover. " Compared to others, my conditions are really difficult because my wife and I live in two places" - Mr. Hien confided.
Mr. Truong Van Hien (born in 1989) - Co Tu ethnic group, teacher, Team Leader, Hoa Bac Primary School, Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang.
Mr. Hien and his wife currently work in two different provinces, more than 100 kilometers apart. The young couple has two children. To make it easier to take care of them, the teacher raises the older child who is in first grade while the three-year-old child lives with his mother in Quang Nam. “The time the couple spends together for family activities can last up to two months. The couple wants to be close to each other to show their responsibilities as husbands and fathers, and to build happiness, but there is really no way,” Mr. Hien said.
Despite the difficulties and hardships, Mr. Hien is always optimistic. He believes that when he is young, he needs to strive so that his children and students have a better future. Coming from an ethnic minority background, accustomed to farming, climbing mountains to collect conical leaves, and picking bamboo, to be where he is today, he and his wife have had to try very hard.
Dedicated to the profession
Like Mr. Hien, Mr. Tran Dinh Phuong (born in 1991) - teacher at Hong Van Secondary and High School, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province is also an example of youth dedicated to the cause of education.
After completing his master's degree in Mathematics, Mr. Phuong was assigned to work at Hong Van Secondary and High School. When he came to this highland school, Mr. Phuong felt a love for the land and people of the mountainous region. "Seeing the honest and deprived students in the mountains, I felt compassion. After feeling compassion, I tried my best to teach" - Mr. Phuong shared with reporters of the Journalist & Public Opinion Newspaper.
Mr. Tran Dinh Phuong (born in 1991) - teacher at Hong Van Secondary and High School, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province.
Sticking with the teaching profession in the highlands of Thua Thien Hue province is not easy, and it is the same for Mr. Phuong. Many students in the highlands do not like going to school. To motivate and keep them attending school regularly is a great effort for the teachers.
Therefore, Mr. Phuong always keeps in mind that he must try to teach in the most attractive and engaging way to attract students to school. The fact that they come to school also motivates him to try. "There are times when I send my feelings to my students, but they do not respond 100%, so I feel sad. But then I think again, there are still students who need me more, so I have to try, the process repeats like that" - Mr. Phuong shared.
The house is nearly 100 kilometers from the school. Over the past 6 years, Mr. Phuong has made every effort to improve the quality of education for children in the mountainous region. On the first day of the week, Mr. Phuong rides his motorbike to school, and on the weekend, he returns home to his beloved family. The journey from home to school is also very difficult, especially during the rainy season. The road is dangerous and landslides often occur. Sometimes, halfway through the journey, he is forced to return home. There are times when he has to wait for more than 5 hours for the road to be cleared because of heavy rains causing landslides.
When asked about the salary of more than 6 million, how can he support his wife and children and foreign affairs, Mr. Phuong laughed. Mr. Phuong said that to make up for the lack of material things, he himself advocates living emotionally. Therefore, according to Mr. Phuong, if I live emotionally, others will respond to me with affection. " In my family, I am the only son, so everyone in the family wants me to stay home. In Hue, it is difficult for a son to live far away from home, especially an only son. But understanding my job, my parents sympathize and help me look after my grandchildren so that I can work with peace of mind " - Mr. Phuong expressed.
Mr. Phuong also shared that every time it rains, he is worried when he leaves home for school. He is afraid that if something unfortunate happens, who will take care of his family? At home, everyone in his family is also worried and fearful. Especially this season, in Hue, it is the rainy and flood season. Despite all the worries, the love for his students in the highlands has created a great motivation for Mr. Phuong to take care, strive every day, and improve his profession.
Through confiding with Mr. Hien, Mr. Phuong can see that being a teacher in the current context is not easy. In addition to a meager salary that is not enough to live on, teachers need to strive for expertise and work hard all day. As a destiny of life, teachers strive every day, love their profession, and overcome difficulties to complete their tasks well.
Talking with the teachers, we can see that deep down, Mr. Hien and Mr. Phuong, as well as many other teachers, still hope that one day very soon teachers' salaries will be enough to live on, so that teachers like them will have less hardship, and have the conditions to take better care of and improve their profession.
Trinh Phuc
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