Teacher in Nghe An highlands wades through mud to enter village to 'call' students to class

Holding a pair of muddy flip-flops in his hand, drenched in sweat in a thick raincoat, teacher Trinh Xuan Dao, a teacher at Bac Ly Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities, still tried to follow his colleagues on the long, slippery slope to get to Keo Nam village, the most difficult village of Bac Ly commune and Ky Son district up to this point.

Teachers of Bac Ly Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities go to the village to teach. Photo: Trinh Xuan Dao

Past the slope, the four teachers sat down on the roadside to rest. Looking back at the slope covered in red mud and full of buffalo furrows, everyone shook their heads and sighed in disappointment.

The mud was so thick that teachers had to take off their sandals and hold them in their hands to enter the village. Photo: Trinh Xuan Dao

Teacher Trinh Xuan Dao shared: Since the start of the new school year, this is the second week they have been divided into different villages to teach students. Normally, students in these villages would concentrate on studying and staying at the school under the boarding system. However, due to the epidemic situation, it is still not possible to teach in person at this time.

With the motto “stop going to school, don’t stop learning”, the school has divided into several villages, arranged reasonable timetables for teachers to come and teach. The Keo Nam and Keo Pha Tu villages were chosen as a place for students to come and study.

Leave the car on the roadside and continue to the student movement village. Photo: Trinh Xuan Dao

From Bac Ly Secondary School to Keo Pha Tu village, the distance is 12 km, mainly a slippery dirt road. From Keo Pha Tu to Keo Nam, it is even more difficult. It is only 8 km but almost all of it is on foot because of the steep slope and slippery mud after the heavy rains of the Western mountains and forests. The luggage they brought with them was only a few sets of clothes, the rest were mainly books and notebooks to give to students to help them have learning tools. The teaching place also had to borrow the preschool schools because at this level, students do not have to go to school yet.

On Monday morning, after taking the roll call, seeing that many students in Keo Nam village were still absent, the teachers consulted with each other to go to the village to encourage the students to go to school. Some brought raincoats, others prepared their boots and got on the bike to go to the village. For the first 6 km, the 4 teachers had to walk together and help each other push the bike.

“When we first went, we didn’t imagine the road would be this difficult. If we had known, it would have been faster to leave the bike outside and walk, but now, after going a short distance, the dirt stuck to both tires. We couldn’t push it or sit on it,” said teacher Vu Van Phong.

Teachers at Bac Ly Secondary School had to temporarily borrow a kindergarten to teach. Photo: Trinh Xuan Dao

After 6 km, they had to leave their motorbikes on the roadside and walk into the village. The sandals and boots were covered in mud, making it difficult for the four of them to move forward. “We have to go to the place to persuade the children to come to school, otherwise, if we miss a day, it will be a disadvantage for them. I hope the epidemic will soon be pushed back so that the children can learn more,” said teacher Trinh Xuan Dao.

In Nam Can commune (Ky Son district), secondary school students cannot gather at school. The school has had to divide into 3 villages so that teachers can come to teach. It is the rainy season, so it is very difficult for teachers to go to Nam Khien village. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh said: "Up to now, secondary school students have only taught at one central school in the commune, but now they have to go from one village to another to teach. After Nam Khien, they go to Nam Can and then to Tham Hin. When it is sunny, the teachers can still go, but when it is raining, they have to go to Nam Khien and then back up, even though it is only 5 km, it takes nearly an hour."

A class at a village school of Nam Can Secondary School students. Photo: Dao Tho

Also in this area, according to teachers, during the summer break, some students followed their parents to the South to help with housework. When the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, although it was time to return to school, many students still could not return. "I am the homeroom teacher of grade 7, and in my class, there are currently 3 students stuck in Binh Phuoc province. The school has also contacted the families and instructed them to register with the commune authorities so that their children can return in time for school," said Ms. Le Thi Thuong.

Talking to us, Mr. Hoang Van Thai - Vice Principal of Nam Can Primary and Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities said: "Currently, the school has started teaching the new program, initially by assigning teachers to each village location. Although this plan is very difficult for teachers, we are determined not to let students lose study time. The remaining students are stuck in the southern provinces, when the quarantine period ends, we will assign teachers to make up for the program for them."

Up to now, Ky Son district is still implementing online teaching for favorable schools in Muong Xen town, while in the remaining localities, teachers are still assigned to each village to teach.