Female student brings project to promote youth development to the world

TPO - Passionate about philosophy and literature, Pham Bui Gia Khanh, a grade 11 student at the British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi), won the Gold Medal at the UKMT Mathematics Competition in the United Kingdom and is the founder of the Chalk Road Project, an initiative to support students in disadvantaged mountainous provinces to develop themselves comprehensively.

TPO - Passionate about philosophy and literature, Pham Bui Gia Khanh, a grade 11 student at the British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi), won the Gold Medal at the UKMT Mathematics Competition in the United Kingdom and is the founder of the Chalk Road Project, an initiative to support students in disadvantaged mountainous provinces to develop themselves comprehensively.

In early January 2025, Gia Khanh was one of two students from the British International School, Hanoi, who won the Gold Medal in the UK's UKMT Mathematics Competition for secondary school students. He was invited to participate in the second round of the prestigious British Maths Olympiad (BMO). This is the most difficult round to select the national team to participate in the UK's International Maths Olympiad (IMO).

According to his family, Gia Khanh has had a foundation in mathematics since childhood. As a 6th grader, he won the IMSO Bronze Medal in the Mathematics and Science Competition for students under 13 years old worldwide. He was honored to receive a certificate of merit from the Director of the Department of Education and Training and the Chairman of Hanoi City.

At school, Gia Khanh is studying the International Baccalaureate program with 6 subjects: Mathematics, English, History, Economics, Physics and Spanish. The female student is the valedictorian of the IGCSE international high school exam with the highest rating of A* for all 8 subjects: Advanced Mathematics, English Literature, English Language, Geography, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

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Pham Bui Gia Khanh, grade 11 student (grade 12), British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi).

Sharing with PV, Gia Khanh said that Philosophy is his favorite subject. “People think Philosophy is boring, but the more I study, the more I am attracted by the logical and scientific thinking and the new perspective on surrounding issues that this subject brings,” Khanh said.

Aspiration to promote awareness of students in disadvantaged areas

Not only outstanding in academics, Khanh is also known by teachers and friends as an enthusiastic and responsible student in meaningful social activities.

In 2022, realizing that students in disadvantaged mountainous areas lack comprehensive educational conditions, Khanh conceived the idea of the Chalk Road project to support them in developing their awareness and life skills. He chose the project name based on the familiar image of white chalk and blackboards, which are close to students, to build and create a "road" to extend the future for students in disadvantaged areas.

The group initially had only 3 members, then increased to 15. They called for and donated money to equip facilities such as air conditioners, carpets, tables and chairs for the reading room, musical instruments, sports equipment, books, etc. to support the library of Dieu Luong Secondary School, Cam Khe District (Phu Tho).

They invited career experts and psychological counselors to talk to students throughout the school. Members personally designed soft skills improvement workshops for all four grades, including cyber safety workshops, art, dance, sports, and music workshops.

“At first, the children were very shy, but through drawing, dancing, and socializing, they gradually became more confident in expressing themselves,” Khanh shared.

Sharing with the press, Ms. Bui Thi The, Principal of Dieu Luong Secondary School, assessed that the activities of the Chalk Road project with a series of activities throughout two years to support students have brought practical meaning, increasing students' confidence. The important thing is that after the project, students are inspired, encouraged to make efforts, know how to dream, and demonstrate their own abilities. These are clearly positive changes.

Thanks to its practical effectiveness, the Chalk Road Project received a grant of 9,000 USD (equivalent to 225 million VND) from the Social Impact Fund of Nord Anglia Education International to expand its implementation at Thanh Kim Primary and Secondary School, Thach Thanh District (Thanh Hoa), supporting more than 1,400 students.

The success of “Chalk Road” helped Gia Khanh win the final prize at the Learning Planet Youth Design Challenge 2024 and was nominated by the UNESCO Chair of Education Sciences to attend the United Nations Future Summit (UNGA) in New York (USA) in September 2024.

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Khanh attended the United Nations Future Summit (UNGA) in New York (USA).

Here, Khanh was the only young representative from Asia and also the first Vietnamese high school student to receive this prestigious nomination. The conference discussed global issues such as digital innovation, peace and sustainable development, giving Khanh the opportunity to connect and learn from leading policy makers. Gia Khanh was honored to be selected to introduce Chalk Road at the UNESCO Youth Leadership Forum with the participation of more than 100 delegates from around the world.

Previously, in early 2024, when participating in the UNESCO Partner Incubator event in Paris, France, Gia Khanh also confidently introduced the Chalk Road project to international friends and received many compliments and encouragements.

“I am proud to be able to share the values of my community with the world,” Khanh confided.

In addition to his strengths in Mathematics and Philosophy, Khanh also loves writing. Realizing that literature can nurture the depth of the soul, he had the idea of establishing a literary writing camp called Camp Lumina for young people aged 13-20 nationwide. The writing camp has attracted the participation of more than 70 students from many high schools and universities across the country. This place has become a space for young people to confidently share their works and grow together through each written page.

With a talent for learning foreign languages, Khanh achieved a 1,540 SAT score in 8th grade and is currently taking Spanish. In the future, she hopes to major in Philosophy and Language, or Political Economy and Language at the world's top universities.

“I hope to learn from advanced education, connect with international friends to accumulate knowledge and skills, and contribute to building a better future,” Pham Bui Gia Khanh shared about his aspirations.