The local official has been running free classes for 10 years.

(Baonghean.vn) - For nearly 10 years, a special class has been offered free of charge to all poor students throughout the mountainous region of Tan Long, Tan Ky district (Nghe An).

The owner of this class is quite special, as he is a finance officer of the commune, has no education, and has never stood on a podium before. He is Nguyen Viet Hoc, born in 1963.

A knack for words

Driven by love and a sense of responsibility towards underprivileged students, teacher Nguyen Viet Hoc opened a free class and personally taught them. Photo: Nhu Suong

Traveling along the historic Highway 15A towards Tan Ky on an early summer day, we visited the special classroom of a non-professional teacher named Nguyen Viet Hoc just as dusk was falling. From outside the gate, his voice, lecturing, sounded so inspiring and warm, creating a familiar and intimate feeling.

My first impression upon entering the classroom was of the "reluctant" teacher, a tall figure in a still-pressed military uniform, with a tanned complexion and kind eyes behind old glasses. His hair, now streaked with gray, revealed a bright, high forehead. His strong, clear voice drew anyone listening in, making them feel as if they were being drawn into a unique world of knowledge.

Although called a classroom, it's actually a makeshift learning space created by Mr. Nguyen Viet Hoc's family, utilizing two old rooms in a house. It's approximately 30 square meters.²There were about a dozen desks and chairs neatly arranged and spotlessly clean. A blackboard was mounted on the gable wall. Two bright neon lights illuminated the chalk marks on the old board. Nearly thirty students in the class attentively followed the instructions the old teacher was meticulously writing on the board. The first lesson of the summer was about the math exam questions from the recently concluded junior high school exam.

Teacher Hoc guides students in solving math problems. Photo: Nhu Suong

Pouring a cup of tea for his guest during a break, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hoc briefly recounted his life story so that I, a stranger, could understand him better. His ancestral home is in Vinh Linh district (Quang Tri province). His father passed away when he was three years old. In 1969, due to the war, his mother and siblings were evacuated to Tan Ky district (Nghe An province) and settled there permanently. Upon turning 18, he enlisted in the army, serving for three years before being discharged and returning to pursue his studies. He entrusted his dreams to the Vocational School of Commerce. After graduating, Mr. Hoc applied for a job in his local area and became a finance officer for the People's Committee of Tan Long and Nghia Thai communes in Tan Ky district.

His work with ledgers and numbers kept him constantly busy, but after many conversations with the local children, he noticed the significant knowledge gaps and the high failure rate of high school students in the area. Therefore, he became even more concerned and thoughtful about creating a space where children could both learn knowledge and develop their character.

In early 2008, he began to realize his idea by visiting each family in the village with children in secondary school to present his concept, and then going to the school to propose his request to the teachers of the students who were struggling academically. Initially, many parents were surprised, thinking he was joking because how could someone who had never stood on a podium and lacked any teaching skills teach the children? But after many explanations and ignoring the gossip, he still opened the class with six students who were in 9th grade.

Opening the class fulfilled his initial wish. However, his workload doubled as a result; during the day, he worked at the commune's People's Committee office, and in the evening, he tutored the students. The initial success of this "reluctant" teacher was acknowledged when all six students in the class passed the entrance exam to high school.

Sharing his initial ideas, Mr. Hoc recounted: "Becoming a math teacher has been my dream since I was a child. But due to difficult family circumstances, that dream had to be put aside. Currently, although I haven't received professional training like the teachers at school, with the knowledge I have from my school days, plus studying textbooks and updating my knowledge on the internet in subjects like Literature, Math, Physics, and Chemistry, I believe that the knowledge I impart to the children is still accurate and they can still understand it..." And perhaps Mr. Hoc doesn't need to say these things, as the reality of the past 10 years is the clearest proof.

After nearly 10 years dedicated to teaching, Mr. Hoc has tutored and provided extra instruction to thousands of students. The percentage of students in the commune passing the high school entrance exam has increased significantly, including those who were tutored by Mr. Hoc and successfully passed the entrance exams to specialized schools. Many students with academic difficulties and weak academic performance have improved their grades.

"Teacher, you're like a father to us..."

Teacher Nguyen Viet Hoc and his students. Photo: Nhu Suong

According to Mr. Hoc's perspective, to become a useful citizen to society, each student needs not only talent and intelligence but also morality and character. Therefore, in this special class, Mr. Hoc not only imparts knowledge from textbooks but also strives to cultivate morality in each student.

Embodying the qualities of a soldier of Uncle Ho's army, Teacher Hoc always wanted his students to have a good moral foundation, to understand etiquette and manners in communication and behavior. Especially, he wanted them to live with compassion, to know how to share and care for those around them. And that is why Teacher Hoc launched a fundraising campaign for charity and participated in community activities.

Sharing about this, Mr. Hoc said: “With the spirit of giving and receiving, for more than 3 years, I have worked with the students to build the Happiness Charity Fund to share with students in difficult circumstances in the area. The total amount collected since its launch is 17 million VND. To maintain the fund, every week, the whole class organizes a trip to collect recyclable materials or saves a portion of their breakfast money so that each month they can contribute 500,000 VND.”

Teacher Hoc also founded a volunteer group called "Happiness," where, in their free time, both teacher and students participate in collecting recyclable materials to raise funds to support poor and underprivileged students. Photo: Nhu Suong

In particular, during special events such as the historic flood of 2014 in Tuyen Hoa district (Quang Binh province), within a short period of time, both teachers and students managed to raise 3 million VND to support the students of Ngu Hoa Secondary School.

Seemingly not content with what he has already accomplished, Mr. Hoc himself is also a role model for community service. Not only does he not charge tuition fees for his classes, but he also provides food and accommodation for many underprivileged students. Recently, he even provided tuition support for three underprivileged students currently attending Le Loi High School (Tan Ky district) for a period of three years.

And while in the past, the students he tutored were mainly those from disadvantaged backgrounds and with weak academic performance, now many families with children who are "difficult to discipline," addicted to games, etc., also trust him to help them.

Nguyen Thanh Dung (15 years old), formerly a problematic student and a notorious game addict at Tan Long Junior High School, shared his feelings after being tutored by Mr. Hoc: “Because my parents are traders, they hardly had any time to pay attention to my studies. Recently, my parents' divorce made me even more depressed, and I followed the temptations of my friends. For over a year, I became addicted to games and even created two accounts at once to play. I often skipped school to play, causing my mother to search for me. Later, when my mother heard that Mr. Hoc tutored students with weak academic performance, she brought me to his house to entrust me to his care. Here, Mr. Hoc showed me great care and guidance, so now I've quit games and caught up with my classmates. If I hadn't met him, I don't know what would have become of me.”

And as a way to encourage and motivate the class, every year, teacher Nguyen Viet Hoc also gives money from his own pocket to reward students with good academic performance or those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Admiring Mr. Hoc's dedication, many parents expressed their desire to share the burden, but he refused. "My only concern is that the class is getting bigger, but the facilities and classrooms are too small, and I don't have enough time to serve all the children. As for the financial aspect, with my current salary, I am still able to provide for the children."

Sharing her thoughts on her husband's work, Mrs. Doan Thi Thuy confided: "Although Mr. Hoc's work is charitable and not profit-making, his wife and children always support and stand by him. Because only by giving can one hope to receive, and society would be better if more people shared the same thoughts and actions as Mr. Hoc..."

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh, Vice Chairman of the Tan Long Commune People's Committee, said that Mr. Nguyen Viet Hoc's free tutoring classes for children in the commune have received great attention and support from local authorities. Despite dedicating much effort to tutoring, Mr. Hoc has always performed his assigned duties well, whether as the Chairman of the Tan Long Commune Education Promotion Association or as the finance officer of Nghia Thai Commune.

Like Dew