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Over the past few days, the story of a poor second grade student in Phu Thien district (Gia Lai province) who brought rice to school to sell to his teacher to get money to buy pens has touched many people's hearts.

The person who recorded that lovely story and shared it on social media was teacher Dong Xuan Huyen, a Physical Education teacher at Phan Chu Trinh Primary School (Ia Ake Commune, Phu Thien District). The character that moved many people's hearts was Nay That (born in 2016, residing in Tan Diep 1 Village, Ia Ake Commune), a second grade student at the school.

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Image of Nay That asking his teacher to buy rice and a painting to give to him. Photo: Xuan Huyen

Teacher Dong Xuan Huyen said that in addition to teaching, he was assigned by the school to be the Team Leader, whose daily task is to monitor and manage the discipline of the classes.

“That day during recess, I was sitting on a stone bench in a corner of the school to monitor the situation. Suddenly, I saw Nay That coming, holding a bag of rice weighing about 1kg. Surprised and with my phone in hand, I turned around naturally,” Mr. Huyen recounted.

The short video recording the conversation between the teacher and student moved viewers. When Mr. Huyen asked: "What are you giving the rice for? Are you selling it to me? Where did you get the rice?", Nay That nodded vigorously and replied: "The rice is given by grandma, I sell it to buy a pen...". After listening to his student's story, Mr. Huyen gave Nay That a pencil and a small package of cakes and told him to take the rice home for grandma to cook.

Talking about the situation of “a student asking the teacher to buy rice”, Mr. Huyen said that the local J'rai people often have the habit of bringing home-made products to exchange for what they lack. Maybe Nay That thought the same, he brought rice to exchange for pencils as his fellow countrymen often do.

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Nay That recreates the image of Mr. Huyen giving me a box of instant noodles the day he took me home. Photo: Xuan Huyen

“Through research, I learned that Nay That’s situation is very difficult. Her parents are divorced, she lives with her grandmother while her mother works as a factory worker to earn a living. A few days later, I took Nay That home and brought some necessities, gifts from the school to the family, to encourage her to overcome the difficulties in life,” said Mr. Huyen.

On April 9, when checking discipline, Mr. Dong Xuan Huyen stopped by Nay That's class and heard some students say that Nay That often drew pictures of teachers, so why didn't he draw Mr. Huyen? After hearing that, thinking they were joking, he ignored them and continued checking other classes.

“When I turned back, I saw a picture of two people (one big, one small) drawn on the board, with the adult holding something in his hand, facing the child. At first glance, I thought it was the image I took of the video when he 'asked' me to sell rice, but Nay That said it was a reenactment of the image of me giving him a box of instant noodles when I took him home. At that moment, I was moved and filled with pride for the teaching profession. Although I am poor in material things, I am very rich in emotions, being appreciated and remembered by my students, helps me love the profession I have chosen more and love my students more...”, Mr. Huyen said emotionally.

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Phan Chu Trinh Primary School. Photo: Xuan Huyen

Mr. Phan Cong Duong, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Phu Thien district, said that Nay That's situation is very difficult. Compared to his peers, That is a bright student and learns lessons quite quickly.

According to Mr. Duong, in recent years, thanks to the attention of the government and the support of society, many ethnic minority students like Nay That have had the opportunity to go to school and study at boarding schools, thanks to which the dropout rate has almost disappeared.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-qua-bat-ngo-tu-cau-hoc-tro-ga-ban-gao-cho-thay-de-co-tien-mua-but-2389662.html