With the bridge "suspended," many students have to set up makeshift shelters to live in while studying.
(Baonghean.vn) - Looking at the flimsy shack built near the Hieu River, who would have thought it was the lodging place for students from...
(Baonghean.vn) -Looking at the flimsy shack built near the Hieu River, no one would guess that it is the lodging place for poor ethnic minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds.Students boarded in the villages of Định Tiến, Kẻ Nính, Pà Cộ, and Tà Cồ (Châu Hạnh, Quỳ Châu).
The shack, less than 25 square meters, is home to 12 high school students from Quy Chau district. Seeing strangers enter, some of the students' eyes widened in surprise. Vi Thi Hang (a 9th-grade student) explained: "There are 12 people in this house, including 5 tenth-grade students, 3 eleventh-grade students, and 4 ninth-grade students. Our house is only about 200-500 meters away, but if we want to go home, we have to walk a roundabout route that takes a whole day. The reason is that the suspension bridge across the Hieu River has been under construction for almost two years but is still not finished."
The hut also serves as the children's study area.
Hoang Thi Tham (11th grade, class C10) shared: "Because of the river separating us, I only get to go home to visit my mother once a week on weekends, and each trip takes half a day of walking. Every time I return to school, my mother gives me a few kilograms of rice and 20,000 dong. That's the money the school provides me monthly, which my mother saves for my studies."
Upon arriving at Ke Ninh village to investigate, we were informed by Mr. Mac Quang Vinh, former Party Secretary of Dinh Tien village – Ke Ninh: "Previously, before the suspension bridge was built, the village assigned someone skilled in rowing a boat daily to ferry the children across the river. Since the boat sinking incident (in 2010) that nearly killed 11 students, this ferry crossing has been closed, making the children's education even more difficult. Currently, nearly 100 students from the four villages attend Hanh Thiet Secondary School and the district's high school. Those who can afford it stay in dormitories near the school, while families facing financial difficulties have to build makeshift shelters on the other side of the river for their children to live in while studying."
Construction has been underway for over 600 days, but the suspension bridge project remains unfinished.
In 2011, Chau Hanh commune (Quy Chau district) benefited from the construction of a suspension bridge across the Hieu River, located in Ke Ninh - Dinh Tien hamlet. The project, with a total investment of 24.57 billion VND from the provincial budget and other sources, was managed by the Quy Chau District People's Committee. The bridge was designed to withstand a load of 2.5 tons, was 219.19m long, 2.4m wide, and had approach roads at both ends built to rural road standard type A. Construction was expected to take 270 days to complete and put into use. However, after more than 600 days (commencing on October 21, 2011), the project remains unfinished. The bridge is incomplete, and the ferry service is not yet operational, causing considerable difficulties for over 2000 households in the area. The most difficult situation is faced by some poor students who have to build makeshift shelters on the other side of the river to live in while attending school. |
Tran Ngoc Lan
