High school student dropped out of school to get married after Tet

(Baonghean.vn) - At the time of Lunar New Year, some Mong villages in Western Nghe An province have seen a resurgence of students dropping out of school to get married.

We met Lau Y Di, an 8th grade student at Nam Can Secondary School (Ky Son) when she had just finished her wedding with a boy from Tong Khu village (Na Ngoi commune). Y Di's face was still young, the innocence of her school days had not yet worn off. However, after being arrested one night, Y Di became a bride with many worries and hardships for family life at the age of "not yet full, not yet worried".

When asked why she got married so early, she shyly said: “I followed my husband here to be his wife because we liked each other. That night, while I was staying with some friends in my rented room, my boyfriend knocked on the door and took me away. Hearing him beg and say he loved me, I thought that if he loved me, I would respond.” Y Di recounted that that night, in addition to her, there was also Lau Y Hua, a 9th grader in the same room, who was also forced to come to Nam Can to be his wife.

Studying in the same school and living in the same village as Y Di, Lau Ba Tinh nearly a week ago also organized to capture a wife in Pha Lom village (Tam Hop commune - Tuong Duong). Although he is bigger than his classmates, Ba Tinh's thoughts are still very childish.

Not being allowed to marry at such a young age by his family, Tinh declared to his family: "Learning is very difficult, getting married and working in the fields is healthier. If my parents do not allow it, I will eat poison leaves." So a simple wedding took place with many worries of adults. Only Tinh and his wife did not understand the hardships after marriage, so they were still carefree and innocent in the first days of happiness.

Lau Ba Tinh (far right) in a performance while still at school. Photo: D.T

The students, who were only in secondary school, still wearing red scarves on their shoulders, were happily going to school, but overnight they became brides and grooms on their wedding day. What was even sadder, when asked, some parents just smiled and said, "If the children want to, they can go and get a wife, there's no stopping them" even though they knew their children were not of marriageable age.

According to statistics at Huoi Tu Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities (Ky Son), in the 2015-2016 school year, the whole school had 16 students who dropped out of school to get married, including students who had only studied up to grade 7. This number decreased in the 2016-2017 school year to 7 students (up to this point). Similar situations also occurred in some other areas such as Na Ngoi (3 students), Tay Son (2 students), Nam Can (3 students)...

Explaining this reason, some officials and teachers in the area also said that the children came home for Tet holiday, followed the custom of throwing pao and were caught by their wives. Although it was said "was" but mainly both sides agreed. Besides, the family did not prohibit or explain to their children so the children "got what they wanted". Some parents, although not agreeing, when hearing their children threaten "if you don't give it to them, you will eat poison leaves", they turned a blind eye.

A Mong wedding in Nghe An after Tet. Photo: Huu Vi.

In fact, after Tet is the time when the number of Mong students in highland schools dropping out of school to get married is the highest. Because they are not of age, when they get married, the government does not accept their marriage registration but they still live together as husband and wife because they have "held a ceremony to worship the ghosts of the house".

Schools in these areas, before and after Tet, have gone to the villages to encourage and propagate students not to drop out of school to get married. However, this situation still occurs. "Some students when getting married even write invitations for teachers to attend, but we absolutely do not participate. This is no different than encouraging their actions," said Mr. Lo Kham Phu, Principal of Nam Can Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities.

I think, to reduce this situation, the responsibility is not only the education sector's but also requires the synchronous participation of the whole society.

Dao Tho