For future generations

(Baonghean) -According to the Project of Planning the network of primary and secondary schools in Yen Thanh district from 2009 to 2015, in the 2010-2011 school year, the Town Secondary School and Hoa Thanh Secondary School will be merged into Phan Dang Luu Secondary School located in the town. There are many conflicting opinions on the implementation of the above merger roadmap.

Lesson 1: The school has a long tradition

Hoa Thanh Secondary School is the first secondary school of Yen Thanh district, built in 1947 on the land of studiousness of the old Trang Thanh - present Hoa Thanh.

In the past, Trang Thanh had many people who passed the royal examinations, bachelors and bachelors. The Temple of Literature in Hanoi still records two people who passed the royal examinations, Phan Duy Thuc and Phan Tat Thong... Although studious and good at studying, before the August Revolution in 1945, the whole Yen Thanh district with more than 60,000 people had only one primary school located in Yen Thanh district. Children of Yen Thanh in general and Trang Thanh in particular who wanted to study at a higher level had to go to Vinh to study. In the 1947-1948 school year, Le Doan Nha Semi-Public High School was established right on Trang Thanh land, using Bao Lam communal house, Thanh house - Den Ca as classrooms, Mr. Phan Lo, former school inspector, as principal. In 1950, implementing the new education program, the 9-year general education system, Le Doan Nha Semi-Public School became Yen Thanh Secondary School. After that, many inter-commune secondary schools were established. Yen Thanh Secondary School was transformed into Hoa Thanh Secondary School but always maintained its position as a quality central school with a strong teaching staff, full range of subjects, prestige and quality in the region.

In 1961, the school expanded the high school system to Yen Thanh Secondary - High School. In addition to the secondary school classes, there were 3 more high school classes - these were the first high school classes in Yen Thanh district. In the 1962-1963 school year, Yen Thanh Secondary - High School was separated into Yen Thanh High School, now Phan Dang Luu High School. Yen Thanh Secondary School became Hoa Thanh Secondary School, then Hoa Thanh Secondary School until now.

Phan Dang Luu Secondary School is under construction.

During the years of resistance against the French and the Americans, from Le Doan Nha Semi-Public School to Hoa Thanh Secondary School, all were located on Trang Thanh - Hoa Thanh land. Hoa Thanh Secondary School not only attracted children in the district to study, but also parents from neighboring districts such as Dien Chau and Quynh Luu sent their children to study at the school. Many students from far away had to stay and study in local houses. At that time, Hoa Thanh farmers contributed to bringing many generations of Yen Thanh children here to stay and study.

In recognition of Hoa Thanh Secondary School's achievements, the President awarded it the Second Class Labor Medal and many other noble awards.

In particular, Hoa Thanh Secondary School still has 4 two-story classrooms built in the late 70s in French architectural style. Mr. Phan The Hai, a former student of Hoa Thanh Secondary School, proudly said: "Studying in large, beautiful classrooms, roofed with Western tiles, with Pano doors, double-layer shutters, and glass built in French architectural style is really impressive." For the people of Hoa Thanh, the school has become a symbol of the tradition of academic excellence of this land.

Mr. Phan Dang Chuan, Chairman of the Association of Former Teachers of Hoa Thanh Commune, said: "As a son of Hoa Thanh, we are proud of this school with a long tradition. This is the first secondary school of Yen Thanh district, the predecessor of Phan Dang Luu High School today. Many generations of students have grown up from this school. For old people like us, Hoa Thanh Secondary School has become an indispensable part of our memories..."

However, with a scale of 7 classes with 194 students, an average of less than 28 students/class as present, Hoa Thanh Secondary School faces many difficulties: teachers have to teach cross-subjects, professional groups are just combined groups; the learning atmosphere is fragmented; facilities are not invested. Mr. Nguyen Trong Vinh, Principal of the school, said: "Hoa Thanh Secondary School is facing many difficulties due to the sharp decrease in the number of students. According to regulations, the number of teachers is based on the number of classes, so the school currently has 15 teachers teaching 12 basic subjects, of which there are at least 3 teachers for Literature and Math, and some subjects such as Civic Education; Engineering... do not have specialized teachers but have to arrange cross-subject teaching. That has a significant impact on the quality of teaching, not to mention the quality of nurturing excellent students and tutoring weak students. In addition, the school's revenue depends on tuition fees and support from parents; there are few students, the number of students from poor and near-poor families accounts for nearly 50%, so the contribution is not much. According to calculations, the school's revenue from tuition fees this year is estimated at about 15 million VND (after paying 40% to the budget), plus the budget from above, the school has about 30 million VND VND to cover all activities: electricity, water, teaching equipment, rewards for excellent students, excellent teachers... In fact, each month the school is only allowed to spend about 2.6 million VND. Besides, there are few students and few teachers, so it cannot create a vibrant working environment, cannot create opportunities for teachers and students to compete in teaching and learning...". And in fact, in the 2008-2009 school year, the school had 1 excellent student of the province, excellent students of the district reached 27.4%; excellent students of all subjects reached 8% and advanced students reached 35%. By the 2010-2011 school year, the school had no excellent students of the province, excellent students of the district decreased to 8.8%, excellent students of all subjects reached 7.8%. From those numbers, it can be seen that the small size of the school has affected the quality of teaching and learning of the school.

Duy Nam - Thao Nhi