Teachers in the Ky Son highlands help each other cross flooded streams to get to school.

Normally, on Monday mornings, teachers in Bao Nam commune arrive at school in time for the flag-raising ceremony at the beginning of the week. However, for the past two weeks, on Sunday afternoons, everyone has made an appointment to gather at the suspension bridge in Huu Lap commune to go together.

The flood caused landslides on the more than 10 km long road from Huu Kiem commune to Bao Nam commune, completely cutting off many points in Huu Lap commune, forcing authorities at all levels to open a small path on the edge of the forest for traffic. At the Xop Thap spillway (Huu Lap commune), the water overflowed and flowed rapidly and was muddy.

“Normally, it only takes teachers about 30 minutes to get to school by car. These past few days, we had to walk and push our carts through the mud. The most annoying thing was the places where the stream water overflowed and pushed hard, so everyone had to line up to support each other for safety. We had to rely on the support of young men in the village to carry our motorbikes across. It took us up to 3 hours to get to school,” said teacher Lo Thi Huyen at Bao Nam Kindergarten.

As someone who always stays close to other teachers to support when needed, teacher Hoang Van Thuong - a teacher at Bao Nam Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, after hours of crossing streams and climbing slopes, was also exhausted. In his clothes and boots covered in mud, teacher Thuong always encouraged his colleagues to try to overcome dangerous points at risk of landslides. "This is a road section where landslides often occur, so we have to support each other to go, otherwise if we get stuck, it will be very dangerous" - teacher Hoang Van Thuong shared.

In Bao Thang commune, landslides are dense, the road is bumpy and full of large and small rocks mixed with thick mud. The heavy rain on September 27 completely broke a section of the road from Chieu Luu commune to the center of Bao Thang commune. Water along the streams and creeks is still high, making it difficult for passersby to risk crossing alone. Not only that, the road to the villages of this commune is also seriously damaged.

The Xao Va village school of Bao Thang Primary and Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities is considered the most difficult place in Ky Son district at present. There are 2 classes (grade 1 and grade 2) taught by 2 teachers, Mr. Xong Ba De and Mr. Lau Ba Xy. To get to the village, they have to put chains on the tires and push them up long slopes.

“We are used to it. Anyone assigned to teach at this village must prepare two chains to wrap around their tires when it rains. People may be surprised, but it’s not like the teachers here don’t understand. That’s the only way to get the bike through the long, slippery slopes that look like someone poured grease on them,” said teacher Lau Ba Xy.

Not only teachers with driving experience and good health, but also many female teachers living in remote areas in Nghe An province are having to overcome these difficult roads to get to school. At Nam Khien village, Nam Can commune (Ky Son), only 5 km away from the commune center, many teachers living in remote areas have fallen many times on slippery roads. This is the most difficult village in Nam Can border commune.

In Nam Khien village, there are 2 kindergarten classes. Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga and Ms. Vi Thi Hong, 2 teachers of the kindergarten in this village, shared that every time it rains, they have to walk and push the cart. It is only 5 km but if they walk, it takes 2 hours to get to the village. "When it rains, the teachers do not dare to go alone, they have to ask for help and support from male primary school teachers. They are used to it, every time it rains, they have to tie chains to the tires and cling to the teachers to go" - Ms. Vi Thi Hong confided.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Nga said that she has been here from Anh Son district for nearly 10 years, this road is not unfamiliar, but for a woman like her, every time it rains, it is still a haunting experience. "I don't know how many times I fell, fell, fell and then got up and continued. When I got to the school, my clothes were covered in mud, I just quickly took out my spare clothes and put them on before going to class" - Ms. Nga said sadly.

The weather in the remote border region is entering the rainy season, the way to school for teachers in remote areas is becoming more arduous. But somewhere in their eyes is still the love for the profession, the love for children, the attachment to the school, the attachment to the village. All of them want to sow the seeds of the future in the vast Nghe An region.