"Supporting" students in mountainous areas

Sixth-grade students at Tran Hung Dao Secondary School, Hong Thuong commune, A Luoi district (Thua Thien Hue province) gather for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

Mr. Ho Van Khoi, Head of the Education and Training Department of A Luoi District, said that in the 2023-2024 school year, the district has 44 schools of all levels, with approximately 13,000 preschool, primary, and secondary school students under the Department's management. To date, the enrollment process has been completed and met the planned targets. Schools have also cleaned classrooms and functional rooms, and equipped facilities to ensure teaching and learning for the new school year. Survey data shows that preschool enrollment has met requirements with a rate of 41% for nursery groups; kindergarten groups have reached over 99%; and primary schools have reached 100%...

The basic infrastructure of the education sector is adequate; the main difficulties lie in the preschool system. Enrollment for the first grades (grades 1 and 6) meets targets, but in reality, during the recent school enrollment period, some students were unable to attend school because their parents were working far away. Currently, according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training , the district's education sector still lacks teachers. The Department of Education and Training is advising the District People's Committee to develop a recruitment plan to meet the requirements.

A Lưới district is one of the 74 poorest districts in the country, so encouraging students to attend school is a crucial task that the Education sector and local authorities at all levels prioritize.

The government and philanthropists' concern for the future generations of the country. (Image: INTERNET)

Ms. Tran Thi Ty Muoi, Principal of Tran Hung Dao Secondary School in Hong Thuong commune, A Luoi district, said: "The school's students are children from Hong Thuong, Phu Vinh, and Son Thuy communes. Thanks to the close cooperation between the school and the local government, the enrollment process for the first grade went relatively smoothly. The school's Youth Union, along with village heads, went to remote areas, especially resettlement areas, to promote and encourage families to register their children for school. At the same time, they also gathered information on disadvantaged households to provide timely encouragement, support, and assistance. In the 2023-2024 school year, Tran Hung Dao Secondary School has 465 students in 13 classes, including 134 students in grade 6 (4 classes). The first-grade students were also very enthusiastic and excited during the first school year gathering."

“During the parent-teacher meeting at the beginning of the school year, the school encouraged families to commit to not letting their children drop out of school midway. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds received timely attention, encouragement, and support from teachers and local authorities. The school also mobilized benefactors to donate hundreds of gifts, clothes, and school supplies to the children for the upcoming opening ceremony,” Ms. Tran Thi Ty Muoi informed.

Representatives from the A Lưới District Department of Education and Training stated that to ensure there is no shortage of textbooks, schools have been taking orders to purchase books for students. For particularly disadvantaged cases, the Education sector has connected with publishers and appealed to philanthropists to donate books free of charge. This school year, using resources allocated to the education sector and integrating the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, A Lưới district has invested over 60 billion VND in building infrastructure, classrooms, upgrading facilities, and purchasing teaching equipment… Through this, the district is gradually improving and standardizing the educational system, enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.

Due to its remote location, school dropout rates remain a problem, often occurring after the Lunar New Year holiday and particularly at the lower secondary level. Some students leave school early to help their parents in the South for work. To prevent these students from interrupting their education, last year education officials and local authorities went to Ho Chi Minh City to encourage and support them to return to school; to date, seven students have returned and successfully completed lower secondary education.

“We require schools to regularly update student information and data, identify difficult cases and obstacles, and promptly resolve and assist them so that students do not have to drop out of school prematurely. Some schools have also implemented many good models and methods to help students in the area,” said Mr. Ho Van Khoi.

SON THUY

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