Red flower seasons

(Baonghean) - Going to Ky Son this season, the green mountain peaks are covered with cool clouds and mist. Autumn is coming. The bus to Ky Son has many teachers from the lowlands going up and down the forest to prepare for the new school year 2014-2015... They are the ones who sow the seeds of knowledge, taking care of them to have seasons of bright red poinsettia flowers...

Students of Ky Son Ethnic Minority Secondary School responded to Reading Day on April 21.

As a teacher who has worked here for nearly ten years and has been a resident head teacher for 7 years, I cannot forget those generations of students who are like innocent and gentle wild flowers. They come to school when they do not have enough to eat, do not have enough to wear, and have never dared to write the word “dream” on the page of their life. I still remember what a teacher said about the students in the mountainous region with bitterness, that “when the vision does not reach the mountain, how can one reach the top?” But fortunately, the future of the great land is being awakened by generations of students who are eager to rise up, like wild flowers in the blooming season to bear sweet fruit.

For a long time, the notion that "a girl who studies and then gets married is someone else's daughter" has buried the dreams of many female students. There are girls who have not yet reached adolescence but "give up the game to their husbands", and then have to shoulder family matters. The story of Vi Su Ny in Cu village, Chieu Luu commune is an example. Her parents divorced, and her mother had a hard time raising her sisters alone. Su Ny was older, so her mother decided to let her drop out of school to get married. Su Ny cried and cried with her homeroom teacher countless times. She almost did not dare to go home even on holidays because she was afraid that she would not have the opportunity to return to class. Fortunately, she studied well, enjoyed the support program for students in mountainous areas, and received encouragement from teachers, so she was not discouraged. She always told herself to try and try. Now Su Ny is a third-year student at Vinh Medical University. “The Ky Son people still sweat to make seeds sprout on the steep mountain tops. You are also a Ky Son person. You will definitely sow your life into a lush green tree.” - Su Ny's words make my heart soften every time I think of the hardships and bitterness she has gone through.

And the student of Lu Thi Hong University of Culture in Na Loi village, Na Loi commune, met me again after many years and still couldn't get over her shyness: "If it weren't for the teacher's help, I would probably be holding my baby now...". Unlike Su Ny, Hong is a wild flower growing in the middle of the forest. The pure beauty of the 15-year-old girl makes many young men lose sleep every night. Her parents decided to marry her to a rich family. In the spring, Hong did not return to school, and the groom's family was also looking to find a wife for their son. Luckily, the young man's father was a commune official, and the teachers had to talk a lot to "save" Hong from child marriage. The will to rise up and the burning desire for a better life have urged them to overcome difficulties and continue their journey of knowledge...

The State's support policy for ethnic minority students has given them confidence and hope for change in the future. Parents are happy, students are happy and teachers are happy. Ven Van Kham (Khanh Thanh village - Nam Can - Ky Son) said: "I dream of becoming a teacher to teach literacy to the villagers. In my village, many people are illiterate, including my parents." Vi Van May (Pieng Pho village - Pha Danh) confidently affirmed: "I am trying to study well, in the future I will definitely become a good lawyer"...

Now, generations of students in the highlands of Ky Son are taking steady steps on the path they dream of. Those who sow the seeds of hard work will one day reap the fruits, generations of students in Ky Son are bringing much brightness in every smile to parents. Ms. Ho Y Xia (Nam Can - Ky Son) waiting to receive the school admission notice for her children at the district post office could not hide her joy. She shared in her not-so-fluent Kinh language: "My eldest son is going to university this year, and my second daughter is going to the provincial boarding school." Mr. Ho Chong Nhia (Tien Tieu village - Nam Can) is very happy because his four children are all well-behaved and good at studying. The two eldest girls are studying at the Medical University, the son is studying at the Border Guard Academy, the youngest is studying culture. His hope is that "in the future, my children will return to the village to treat patients, save people and protect the border because the Fatherland really needs children like that."

Mr. Nguyen Canh Hoat - Deputy Head of Ky Son Education and Training Department happily informed: In the 2013 - 2014 school year, Ky Son had the highest number of students passing the provincial excellent student exam ever with many high awards, 183 students achieved excellent student exam at district level in grades 6, 7, 8; 54 students passed the provincial Boarding High School exam, many new full-time university and college students scored over 20 points, the attendance rate of preschool, primary and secondary school students increased compared to previous years... These are very remarkable results.

Perhaps, as Ms. Tran Thi Chau - Distinguished Teacher, Principal of Ky Son Boarding Ethnic Minority Secondary School shared: "Generations of students have kept the footsteps of those who sow letters anchored in this land of many hardships. If they do not "grow up" on the path of education, how guilty will those of us who carry the responsibility of sowing letters feel?"

Leaving the vast wilderness when the afternoon sun was halfway up the mountain, mixed in with the dark green of the forest was the bright red color of the poinsettia flowers blooming brilliantly. The children, like those brilliant poinsettias, were cared for and raised by hard-working fathers and mothers and the dedication of teachers…

Article and photos:Onyx