Difficulty in mobilizing highland students to return to school

(Baonghean.vn) - While parents in the city are jostling to get their children into public schools, in mountainous areas like Bac Ly (Ky Son), teachers have to work hard to persuade each child to go to school.

Bac Ly 2 Primary School is one of the units that still faces difficulties, with many shortages of facilities and difficult transportation. The school has 7 campuses, including 6 satellite campuses, located in 7 villages in the border commune of Bac Ly.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the whole school had 296 students, mainly children of Thai, Khmu, and Mong ethnic groups, studying in 26 classes. To ensure the new school year goes smoothly, in the first days of August, in addition to cleaning the school, preparing facilities, and providing professional training for the new school year, the staff and teachers of Bac Ly 2 Primary School also organized groups to mobilize students to go to school.

Bac Ly 2 Primary School has mostly students from Thai, Khmu, and Mong ethnic groups. Photo: Lu Phu

We followed the school teachers to persuade the family of Mr. Vi Kham Pan, Buoc village, Bac Ly commune - one of the poorest households in the village, with many children, and whose economy mainly depends on one crop season.

Because of poverty, the three older children of Mr. Pan's family dropped out of school to follow their parents to the fields. The fourth son, Vi Van Hieu, only finished 2nd grade. Last school year, Hieu was one of the best students at school, but he said that because he wanted to help his family, he planned to drop out of school in the 2017-2018 school year to stay home and help his father take care of his younger siblings.

Teachers from Bac Ly 2 Primary School, Bac Ly Commune, Ky Son went to Vi Kham Pan's house, Buoc Village, Bac Ly Commune to encourage Vi Van Hieu to continue going to 3rd grade. Photo: Lu Phu

Mr. Pan also said that because his family's circumstances are so difficult, he wants to leave his child at home to help his mother with chores and look after his younger siblings.

After being encouraged by the teachers, the father of five children seemed to relent and promised to send his children back to school soon.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Hao, head of the student mobilization team at Bac Ly 2 Primary School, said that every year there are situations with similar reasons to Vi Kham Pan's family. Especially during the summer, students often sleep in the fields with their parents, so when the summer ends, it is difficult to meet and mobilize them to go back to school. Finding the family's field is difficult, but mobilizing the students and their parents is even more difficult.

Although they are of school age, many children in the border commune of Bac Ly have to drop out of school to stay home and help their parents look after their younger siblings. Some even have to follow their parents to the fields every day. Photo: Lu Phu

Teachers, in addition to visiting each farm, also have to regularly investigate the economic situation and learn about family circumstances to provide timely encouragement.

Thanks to the enthusiasm and responsibility of those who spread the word, students in this remote commune have more opportunities to go to school. Since the gathering schedule (early August) until now, most of the children have been attending school, except for a few children who follow their parents to the fields. After meeting and persuading them, their parents have promised to let them go to school.

Difficult family circumstances are a major obstacle to children in the highlands going to school. Photo: Lu Phu

Mr. Hao also informed:As a school in a disadvantaged area with more than 100% of students being ethnic minorities, for many years, Bac Ly 2 Primary School, Bac Ly commune, Ky Son district, has always ensured to maintain the number of students and students attending class at an almost absolute level.

Not only that, the quality of teaching and learning at the school is increasingly improved. In addition to teaching, in the 2016-2017 school year, the school also organized many activities, creating practical and useful playgrounds at the main school as well as at the branch schools to create joy and attract students to school.

Most of the children have gone to school, getting ready for the new school year. Photo: Lu Phu

Mr. Le Xuan Khai, Principal, added: This school year, from August 1st, the school mobilized staff and workers to return to school to return leave and assigned them to go to all the villages to direct the construction of facilities in preparation for the beginning of the school year.

"If I had any wish, I would only hope for more help with the school's facilities because currently the school has 26 classrooms, of which only 4 are solidly built, the rest are degraded level-four houses"./.

Lu Phu