(Baonghean.vn) - Thach Ngan II Primary School (Thach Son branch) is located in Thach Son village, nearly 25 km from Con Cuong district and 15 km from the center of Thach Ngan commune.
This remote school has 5 teachers in charge of 5 classes with 48 students, located in a village inhabited entirely by the Dan Lai ethnic minority. Previously, the villagers lived in Co Phat village, Mon Son commune. In 2007, they were relocated to a resettlement area in Thach Ngan commune and have lived there stably ever since.
Teacher Tran Ngoc, the group leader of Thach Ngan II Primary School, said: "Since relocating here, parents and students are very happy because it's much better than the old Co Phat village. Here, although the roads are still bumpy, students don't have to travel by boat like in the old village, and heavy rain doesn't cut off their way to school..."
Although Thach Son school still lacks one classroom this new school year, forcing the school to use staff quarters as a classroom, this has not significantly affected teaching and learning.
To help the children stay engaged with learning, Mr. Ngoc added: "Every year, the school prepares all the necessary books, notebooks, clothes, and school supplies for the students, and then parents pay later. Some parents only send money for books and supplies to the school at the end of the school year, but the most important thing is that the children study hard, love their school, and love their class."
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| For the students of Thach Son village, going to school every day is a joyful day. |
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| Best friends La Thi Hong and La Thi Thao are starting first grade this year. Everything is surprising, especially handwriting, so every day the two girls arrive at school 30 minutes early to practice writing together. |
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| Teacher Hoang Thi Thu Hien is teaching the letters to her first-grade students. "The students in Dan Lai are slow learners but very diligent and eager to learn," Ms. Hien said. |
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| At the beginning of each school year, the teachers personally cut out letters and decorate the walls, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere in the classroom. |
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| To save money, the school collects bottle caps, washes them, and uses them for teaching Vietnamese. |
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| Despite the difficulties, at the beginning of each new school year, the teachers here set aside money from their salaries to buy flowers to decorate the classrooms, making them more welcoming. |
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| The tug-of-war game played after each break adds extra joy to the students' daily school life in Thach Son. |
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| Teacher Hoang Thi Thu Hien said that because Thach Son is far from the market, whenever the teachers go to the market, they often buy wild banana blossoms and bamboo shoots to make pickled bamboo shoots, which they use as a substitute for vegetables in their meals. |
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| At this year's opening ceremony, the commune leaders came to celebrate and encourage the teachers and students to continue to teach well and learn well. |
A day in Thach Son, witnessing the lessons, the playtime, the boundless sharing of those who sow the seeds of knowledge in this remote mountain region, the carefree, innocent moments of the students with their sun-kissed, wind-bleached hair from their time in Co Phat, warmed our hearts.
Thu Huong