What is special about the boarding school with the best achievements in Nghe An?

PV: Sir, this August, the 10th grade students of the school have started going back to school. When welcoming a new class of students, what do you usually think about?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:We have just welcomed more than 200 grade 10 students to the new course. These are all ethnic minority students, coming from mountainous districts of Nghe An province. A few of them have parents who are teachers, civil servants, or public employees. The majority of the students are in very difficult circumstances, living a hard life, many of them have not yet accessed or become familiar with the minimum living facilities. Therefore, when they first enter school, teaching skills to them is a top priority.

The students’ knowledge is also something we care about. Apart from some central areas such as towns and some places with favorable conditions, the students’ entrance scores are relatively high, but in many other areas, especially in remote communes, the students’ entrance scores are very low, even below average. Therefore, even though the school year has not yet begun, the school has had to plan to review and consolidate the students’ knowledge.

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I also saw the anticipation and excitement of the children coming to school. On the first day of taking their child to school, a parent met me and confided that being admitted to a boarding school was like a lowland student passing the entrance exam to Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted. Therefore, I saw the pride of the parents and students when they were admitted to the school.

It is a joy not only for the family but also for the whole clan and the whole village. I also know that many secondary schools in the districts also ask for the list of students who passed the school's entrance exam to use as the school's golden board of achievements. This is a recognition for the collective of the Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities No. 2.

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet

Reporter: Many parents of the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 in the recent 2024 High School Graduation Exam are very honest farmers and shared that when their children went to boarding school, they did not know how their children would study. But they have faith in their children and in the teachers of the school. For the school community, especially the leader, is that a pressure when starting a new course?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:We are very happy to receive the trust and confidence of parents. With the main task of training a team of cadres for mountainous districts, the school always clearly defines its responsibility, which is to equip students with knowledge and skills so that after each school year they will become more mature. The pressure will be the motivation for the school to strive to improve, so that the achievements of the following school year are higher than the previous year.

A great joy for the school is that in recent years, the school's achievements have always been stable and in the top of the province. Like the 2023-2024 school year, 35/40 students achieved provincial excellent students. Notably, among these, the school has 2 female students who won first prize in Math, including 1 Valedictorian.

In the 2024 High School Graduation Exam, the school achieved an average score of 7.91 points, ranking 3rd in the province, after Phan Boi Chau High School for the Gifted and Do Luong 1 High School. The school has a national valedictorian, with 8 students being commended. In addition to the advantage of the boarding school in social subjects, natural subjects have now also been increasingly affirmed and our school always has students in the high-scoring group in the Natural Science group.

This result partly reflects the quality of the school, but also shows that the intelligence of ethnic minority students is very admirable. If given good conditions, they will be able to develop their abilities. Many students at our school in the 2023-2024 school year have left behind very impressive achievements: passing the university entrance exam to prestigious universities nationwide such as Hanoi Medical University, Foreign Trade University, Security Academy, Police Academy, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, National Economics University... Many students are examples of the spirit of overcoming difficulties and determined goals to pass the university entrance exam.

PV: Continuously for nearly 5 years now, besides the province's specialized schools, the quality of education of the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 is often ranked 2nd or 3rd. This is not an "accidental" achievement but is accumulated day by day, month by month. Behind that is the outstanding efforts of teachers and students. Could you share about the process of achieving this success?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:The class of students born in 2006 who just graduated from high school in 2024 is the 10th class of students of the school. Since its establishment, the school's guiding principle has been that students must have the best results, when they have "crossed the mountain" to study here, they must go to university.

Before that, to have good quality, right from grade 10, we paid a lot of attention to choosing homeroom teachers. These are people who are very close to the students and must do a good job of detecting positive nuclei in each subject and each class.

Therefore, there are students who do not start with a high score when entering the school, but after only one semester, their qualities will be grasped and developed. Such is the case of Hoai Thuong, the national valedictorian of block C this year. Although her entrance score was very low, she was in the bottom class, but after entering the school, she made remarkable progress.

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I also want to share that the pressure of the school is the quality of the students. Therefore, it is right to say pressure. Like in our school, teachers see pressure as a daily life. Here, teachers love students, care for students and consider students as their own children, even spending more time with their own children.

During peak times, to effectively review for excellent students, it is normal for teachers to bring students home for tutoring and extra classes, without any difficulty.

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet

PV: During many exam seasons, I have heard many teachers share that, “they poured their hearts out to teach their students” and just waited for them to shine. And indeed, behind the success of students at this school, there is the shadow of teachers. In your opinion, what is the catalyst to make this special thing happen, to encourage teachers to be able to devote themselves like that?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:As I have shared, when teachers at our school welcome a new batch of students, they all realize that behind the difficulties and hardships is the students’ determination to overcome their circumstances. This is also the decisive factor for them to constantly try, work hard, and compete to study well.

On the school side, we believe that we must make the students feel that “the boarding school is home and the teachers are their parents”. In order for the students to change their lives through education, the teachers must also identify their responsibilities. This is also the honor and self-respect of each teacher, the next generation continues the tradition of the previous generation.

I also want to say that there are many good teachers. But teachers who love and sacrifice for their students, help students from 3s and 4s to 7s and 8s, and help students from 5s and 6s to 9s and 10s, not everyone can do it. This is not only done by ability but also by true love and dedication.

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I remember the days of exam preparation, it was a fierce period, the sun was blazing hot but teachers and students still worked hard. There were days when the teacher taught on the podium, the students were so hot that they sat on the floor. The students were worried, the teacher was impatient.

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet

PV: For two consecutive years, the Ethnic Boarding High School No. 2 has ranked second in the province in terms of the number of students recognized, with up to 12 students in one year. Is this a coincidence or part of the school's plan to sign a commitment to ensure quality?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:At the beginning of the year, the school's pedagogical council set targets for the school year, including targets for excellent students, targets for passing graduation and university entrance exams, and targets for commended students. This year, we are very happy because we have achieved all the targets set.

For our school, the model of signing a commitment to ensure quality is of great value. Commitments to the school and parents are milestones for teachers and students to strive for, and goals to aim for. Quality is not assigned in general but to each student, each specific group, and the result is the student's score. This process will be continuous from grade 10 to grade 12. Commitment is associated with responsibility.

PV: Every year, Nghe An holds a ceremony to honor excellent students and students with high scores. For boarding schools, what does this mean to the students and the school?

Teacher Ho Quoc Viet:In our school's "Tao Quan" plays, instead of students going to school to get into university, they creatively study, study to be honored. That means being honored has become a goal that every student has dreamed of. And the honor ceremony is truly a festival of our school.

The award ceremony is an opportunity for the school to tell parents and the government that we have tried, an opportunity to inspire generations of students and also an opportunity to honor teachers. We have great confidence in, respect and thank the team of teachers who have devoted themselves to the school with the results we have achieved today. And we are also very proud of the students. Their achievements have proven that ethnic minorities have made a very special mark. That is a very commendable effort!

PV: Thank you for joining the chat!