Outraged by the sight of thousands of students in remote areas having to fend for themselves in dilapidated rented rooms while attending high school, at the Conference to provide feedback on the Draft "Notification on the activities of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of the province in participating in government building in 2023; opinions and recommendations of voters and people in the province; proposals and recommendations to the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee on necessary issues," I proposed that the Provincial Fatherland Front should submit its opinion to the competent authorities to reconsider the abolition of the boarding school policy in high schools in mountainous districts. Also attending the conference was National Assembly representative and Standing Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien. The female National Assembly representative expressed her concern about this issue and recounted a phenomenon in mountainous districts that, in her opinion, was abnormal.
Specifically, through numerous field trips to the mountainous districts of the province, Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hien observed that at the beginning of summer, there are often buses carrying children of primary and secondary school age to the South. These buses take the children to their parents until the summer months are over. From this reality, the female National Assembly representative investigated and learned that in many villages in the mountainous districts, where ethnic minorities live, there is a shortage of people of working age, with most remaining being the elderly and young children.
It's worth noting that these working-age couples, when leaving their hometowns to earn a living, often equip their children with smartphones for easy communication. However, smartphones are full of harmful and toxic information. Children living with grandparents, lacking parental supervision, are very susceptible to being exposed to and negatively influenced. “In the high mountainous regions inhabited by ethnic minorities, the rate of juvenile delinquency is increasing. Although there are no specific statistics, this is a fact. Therefore, we believe that seeing the unusual sight of young children traveling south during the summer months warrants attention…” – emphasized National Assembly representative and Standing Vice President of the Provincial Women's Union, Hoang Thi Thu Hien.
The truth is, although I frequently travel to the mountainous districts of the province, I've never heard of buses carrying children heading south. But I believe such buses exist, and I also think it's unusual.
We believe and think this because we witnessed many similar images in September 2023, during long trips to five mountainous districts of the province: Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son, Quy Chau, and Que Phong. In these districts, we spent most of our time investigating the living conditions and study habits of students from remote areas who live in rented rooms in the district centers to attend high school. We saw children lacking family supervision. Many had disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, sleepy faces, and were engrossed in smartphones. Along with what we saw, we also heard many complaints, concerns, and worries about the lack of security and order, the declining academic performance of students, and the infiltration of social vices into these rented rooms. One example we heard from education workers was that in Quy Chau district, four students had violated the law by becoming involved in drug abuse. Of those, three students received sentences ranging from 5 to 7 years in prison, while one student was given a non-custodial rehabilitation sentence of 10 months.
This belief stems from the fact that, in the draft proposal for a Resolution on policies to support boarding schools for ethnic minority students in the province, the Department of Education and Training acknowledged: “The quality of education varies greatly between regions within the province; infrastructure and equipment remain inadequate, especially in remote areas and areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions and a large ethnic minority population. Schools and classrooms are not up to standard; the requirements for care, nurturing, and education are not met; accommodation and meals for students in boarding schools for ethnic minorities are still lacking; the benefits for students, teachers, and staff are still inadequate; and inequality in access to educational services is growing. Educational inequality erodes the motivation of young people to strive, reduces the dynamism of social mobility, and is a source of social instability.”
As the Secretary of the Tuong Duong District Party Committee, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, stated: “Currently, we are implementing Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW of the Politburo on comprehensive educational reform; and implementing the 2018 Education Program. But frankly, we have not ensured the synchronization needed for implementation. Especially when issuing and implementing the plan, the investment has not been coordinated…”
With such belief and thought, we hope to improve the quality of education in the mountainous districts of the province. This is because Resolution No. 39-NQ/TW dated July 18, 2023, of the Politburo "on building and developing Nghe An until 2030, with a vision to 2045" has pointed out that, although Western Nghe An has seen many positive developments, it still faces many difficulties, and security and order remain potentially complex; therefore, there is a need to promote sustainable development in Western Nghe An.
To help Western Nghe An develop sustainably, among the necessary things, we must focus on people. This means educating the younger generation. Because if the situation of children boarding at school, lacking supervision from family and school, persists, then the disturbing and problematic situations will continue to recur!
