Commending 64 outstanding "living in remote areas" teachers

On the evening of November 12, in Hanoi, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union coordinated with the Ministry of Education and Training and Thien Long Group to organize the program "Sharing with teachers" 2015 - Honoring 64 outstanding "living in remote areas" teachers working in 64 poor districts across the country..

The program "Sharing with teachers" 2015 is an activity to implement the movement "I love my Fatherland" launched by the 7th National Congress of the Vietnam Youth Union, term 2014 - 2019 and to celebrate the anniversary of Vietnam Teachers' Day November 20.

Exemplary teachers in remote areas at the meeting with leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training on the afternoon of November 12. Photo: Xuan Tung

Secretary of the Central Youth Union, President of the Central Youth Union of Vietnam Nguyen Phi Long shared: The program aims to encourage and show gratitude to teachers who are pioneers and volunteers working at remote schools in mountainous areas with difficult economic conditions, who have made many contributions to the cause of education and socio-economic development of the country; to arouse the pioneering spirit of society, especially union members, association members and young people in bringing knowledge to children of ethnic minorities in remote and disadvantaged areas of the country. Thereby, promoting propaganda work, calling on society to continue to care for and help teachers and students in remote, mountainous, island and economically difficult areas.

Teachers in the mountainous region of Nghe An overcome difficulties, staying at school and in class every day so that students can feel secure going to school. (Photo: My Ha).

The 64 outstanding teachers in remote areas (including 32 Kinh teachers and 32 ethnic minority teachers) who were honored are all vivid examples of love for their profession, love for children and sacrifice. Many teachers have been attached to schools in remote and poor areas for decades. Typical examples include Mr. Lo Van Xuan, who has taught for 35 years in the poor district of Sop Cop, Son La; Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong Binh, who has been attached to education in the poor border district of Quan Ba, Ha Giang for more than 20 years; Mr. Le Dinh Thuong, who has been teaching for more than 18 years in the poor district of Phuoc Son, Quang Nam province...

Besides, there are also young teachers of the 9X generation who are enthusiastic about their profession with children and have achieved many achievements in teaching such as Ms. Dam Thi Thu Thuy (Thai Giang Pho Kindergarten, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province), Ms. Phung Thi Huyen (Huoi Lech Kindergarten, Muong Nhe district, Dien Bien province) with 4 years of teaching in the village.

Love students more

Within the framework of the commendation ceremony, teachers in remote villages visited President Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, visited the Ho Chi Minh relic site, and the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam. For many teachers, this was the first time they came to Hanoi, seeing with their own eyes the relics and the hustle and bustle of the capital. Teacher Dinh Thi Ngay (born in 1987, Hre ethnic group) said: "Before, I only knew about Hanoi, Uncle Ho, Ba Dinh Square... and taught children through pictures. Now that I have the chance to visit, I feel very proud and moved. When I return, I will tell my students many more details that the pictures in the lesson do not have."

Ms. Ngay also said that when she met Hanoi kindergarten students on a picnic and visited the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, she loved her students even more. "My students are as different as the students in the city; they are still lacking a lot both materially and spiritually."

Comrade Nguyen Thi Kim Chi - Director of Nghe An Department of Education and Training awarded certificates of merit from the Department of Education and Training to outstanding teachers. (Illustration photo)

Right at the meeting and exchange with the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training, the teachers rarely talked about the difficulties in living conditions to set up classes and schools to spread knowledge but shared about the hardships of students. Ms. Ta Thi Huong (Kon Tum Primary School) presented: “I have been a teacher for 20 years, including 15 years working in the lowlands of Bac Giang, 5 years working in the mountainous areas, so I understand the difficulties of students very well. Students in the lowlands have many conditions, but students in the mountainous areas lack everything. To ensure equal quality of education, it is impossible not to improve the facilities”.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia: Many teachers have been living in remote areas for 20 years and have not been able to return home!

Discussing the slow rotation of teachers in remote areas, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia affirmed that this is a situation that is not easy to solve. The regulation stipulates that teachers must work in remote areas for 3-5 years, but in reality, there are teachers who have been working for 20 years and have not been transferred. Ms. Nghia said: In recent years, the Party and the State have had many policies to attract, provide allowances and incentives for teachers in mountainous areas and especially difficult areas in Decree 19 and Decree 116 of the Government. Specifically, including policies such as: support of 10 months of basic salary when taking up a job, teachers whose families move with them will be subsidized for travel expenses, luggage fees for members, and a regional transfer allowance equal to 12 months of minimum wage and additional salary levels... However, the current policy only helps them reduce some of the difficulties.

According to regulations, when sending teachers to difficult areas, female teachers are guaranteed 3 years, male teachers are guaranteed 5 years. However, in reality, only a few localities do this rotation well. Many localities have large mountainous areas, and the rotation cannot be carried out according to the wishes of teachers. There are many teachers who have been in the remote areas for 20 years without being able to return, some have not even been able to get married, there are cases where they work in one place, but their husbands and children are sick in another far away place...

According to Tien Phong