Unique "intellectual house" in a poor neighborhood in Nghe An

Being present at the “house of wisdom” on Sunday afternoon, when the English class was taking place. In front of the old house’s yard, shaded by green trees, a young teacher was enthusiastically teaching, below were dozens of students of different ages sitting neatly and attentively. I felt here an atmosphere of passionate and self-conscious learning.

Mr. Nguyen Le Hoai - a teacher at Ton Quang Phiet Secondary School (Thanh Chuong), who regularly teaches English here, said: "The house of wisdom" was born from the idea of ​​a son in this house - Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, who is working in the South. In fact, the "house of wisdom" is a house of learning including a library of books and free classes.

Free classes at the "house of wisdom". Photo: Huy Thu

"The House of Wisdom" has been operating for nearly 6 months, the students are mainly farmers' children from hamlets 7, 8 and neighboring areas of Thanh Tien commune. The number of students fluctuates from class to class, from 30 to 70 students depending on specific conditions.

Teachers here are volunteers from Thanh Chuong district and outside, including teachers from Vinh city, Ho Chi Minh city, Binh Duong, and even foreign teachers.

Ms. Pham Thi Chinh - Principal of a primary school in Binh Duong traveled thousands of kilometers to teach here and shared: "Before coming here, I had heard about this warm house, but when I arrived, witnessed it with my own eyes and interacted with the children, I felt extremely moved. It was surprising and impressive to see the children so bold, confident and especially in this class there is no distance between the students and the unfamiliar teachers."

Many teachers from inside and outside the province have come to teach here. Photo: Huy Thu

At the “intellectual house”, the management board has installed blackboards, tables and chairs, lighting systems, fans, toilets, 3 bookcases with 1,700 books of all kinds. In addition to learning English, twice a week on Saturday and Sunday taught by teachers in the district, sometimes the students here have the opportunity to interact with invited foreign teachers; they also learn topics on history, society, learning methods... with contents such as "books and soft skills", "give and receive"... taught by teachers from other places.

Coming to the free class, children can study comfortably, highly promote initiative, self-awareness, without constraints, stereotypes... Mr. Nguyen Hoang Khuong (60 years old) in hamlet 7, Thanh Tien commune, whose nephew studies at the "intellectual house", said: "Since this free class was opened, my nephew and the children in the village have made much progress in their studies. In general, the learning movement of children in the area has had many positive changes, very exciting".

The surrounding "house of wisdom" is decorated quite simply. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - the "founder" of the "intellectual house", his family has moved to the South to live for nearly 3 years now. As a son of the homeland who came from difficult circumstances, now far away from home, he wants to contribute a small part to the revival of education in his hometown, "awakening the village's intelligence" with the idea of ​​building an "intellectual house", turning his old house into a place of learning for the community, to spread more love of knowledge.

First of all, he opened a library here with all kinds of books to meet the learning and research needs of many people and organized free classes for students. What he has done at the "intellectual house" in the past time is just the beginning of a long-term plan that he had dreamed of since his student days.

A nature lesson at the "house of wisdom". Photo: Huy Thu

In the near future, the “intelligence house” plans to expand its operations by increasing the number of books in the library, repairing the reading room, and bringing information technology into the free classroom to connect domestic and international teachers. Currently, a Vietnamese female math professor and a physics doctor in the US are ready to teach math and physics to students in this class once a week.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan added: “I am ready to install computer systems and necessary equipment so that students can study online with good, compassionate teachers all over the country and around the world. Students can not only learn English, Math, Physics, but also many other subjects, so that students in poor neighborhoods can study better, be more confident in life and study abroad.”

Youth Union members and local people join hands to clean up the "house of wisdom". Photo: Huy Thu

“The House of Wisdom” – a gathering place for kind-hearted people, has received enthusiastic response from local people. Over the past six months, the front, the association of hamlet 7 as well as the Youth Union of Thanh Tien commune have supported and accompanied the “House of Wisdom” in many activities here, such as cleaning and repairing houses, cleaning the garden, classrooms, welcoming teachers and students from far away places to teach and study…

Mr. Duong Le Tan - Thanh Tien commune's cultural officer said: "In the difficult local conditions, the establishment of the "intellectual house" with free classes in hamlet 7 is a meaningful and practical activity, both helping children study well and creating a new cultural feature of the village. With the efforts of the executive board, we hope that the "intellectual house" model will become more and more effective."