Sowing knowledge in the highlands

Playground for students of Nam Son Primary and Secondary School (Ba Che commune).

Examples of overcoming difficulties

When the road to school is still full of hardships, each student in the mountainous region has a story about determination and aspiration to rise up. Among them, there is a girl with bright eyes, a gentle smile, always diligently working on her notebooks. That is Ly Thi Hoang Yen, an 8th grade student at Nam Son Secondary and High School (Ba Che commune), one of the school's outstanding students. Born into a poor family with many siblings, her parents are farmers with low income, but Ly Thi Hoang Yen always strives to overcome difficulties to excel in her studies.

Despite her difficult family circumstances, Ly Thi Hoang Yen always tried to study well. During her primary school years, Yen made great efforts to achieve many high achievements. When she entered secondary school, in grade 6, Yen was awarded the title of excellent student. In grade 7, she continued to win the title of excellent student. Behind those achievements are the many efforts of the little student in the highlands. Ly Thi Hoang Yen confided: "In the future, I want to return to my hometown to help friends with difficult circumstances like me, to study together and rise up in life."

A lesson at class 8A, Nam Son Primary and Secondary School (Ba Che commune).

The case of Ly Thi Hoang Yen is not only a story of a student who overcame difficulties to study well, but also a typical image of the determination and will to rise up of students in the mountainous region of Ba Che. Behind that achievement is the companionship and encouragement of teachers, who always devote their whole heart to students in the highlands.

Among them, Ms. Hoang Thi Hien, a teacher at Nam Son Primary and Secondary School, is the one who has been with and guided students to overcome difficulties to go to class for many years. As an ethnic minority, born and raised in Ba Che district, Ms. Hien understands the hardships of children in the highlands when going to school.

For teacher Hien, every day at school is a joy. The teaching profession that she has chosen is not only about teaching, but also about sharing and accompanying students with especially difficult circumstances.

Teacher Hien shared: “I am also an ethnic minority, so I understand the disadvantages of my students. Maintaining class size and motivating students to attend class is the biggest difficulty for teachers in the highlands. I have visited many students' families. Each child has their own circumstances, some are orphans, some have parents working far away, siblings have to stay home to look after each other... When visiting families, I always feel moved and deeply sympathize with the children's circumstances."

Thanks to the kindness of teachers like Ms. Hoang Thi Hien, many students in the mountainous areas like Ly Thi Hoang Yen have more motivation and determination to continue going to school and nurture their dreams. The teachers here are the silent "sowers of knowledge", writing beautiful stories every day in the Ba Che mountains, where knowledge is nurtured with dedication and love.

In many areas of Ba Che commune, people's lives are still difficult, many students face the risk of not being able to go to school. However, there is a meaningful program called "Helping children go to school", which has become a bridge to continue to give wings to the children's dreams.

Closing ceremony of the 2024-2025 school year at Nam Son Primary and Secondary School (Ba Che commune).

Nam Son Primary and Secondary School has 730 students, mainly ethnic minorities, many of whom are in difficult circumstances. For many years, the school, together with local departments, branches and organizations, have implemented the program "Helping children go to school".

Accordingly, every year at the beginning of the new school year, homeroom teachers will review and assess the circumstances of each student, and make a list of those who need special support. Practical gifts such as rice, clothes, and school supplies sent from the school and charitable organizations have become a valuable source of encouragement, giving students more strength to go to school.

The program "Helping children go to school" is not only a practical action, but also a symbol of the spirit of mutual love, a testament to the strength of community solidarity, joining hands to help children in the highlands rise up to realize their dream of knowledge.

Lighting up knowledge in boarding schools

As a highland school with 100% ethnic minority students, Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities has gone through more than 40 years of construction and development; overcoming many difficult stages to become a bright spot in the education career of the particularly difficult areas of Quang Ninh.

Panorama of Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.

The 2023-2024 school year marks an important turning point for Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities when the school renovation and expansion project is completed and put into use. This not only brings a spacious and modern appearance, but also opens up a comprehensive learning and living environment for ethnic minority students in the Ba Che highlands.

Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities currently has a 4-storey school building with 16 classrooms; a multi-purpose building; a 5-storey student residence with 3 floors of rooms (11 rooms per floor), the ground floor is a dining room and a communal room. The subject learning area and the principal's office area have been renovated and upgraded synchronously. In addition, the school also has a football field, a physical education field with an international standard running track surrounding the field.

Thanks to that, the school's facilities now meet the standards of a high-quality school, a national standard school level 2, ensuring places to study, eat and rest for students; helping staff and teachers feel secure in their work, continuing to innovate teaching methods to improve the quality of education.

Computer room of Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.

Teacher Bang Thi Ngoc Lan, Principal of Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, said: “In the 2025-2026 school year, the school has 376 students, 100% of whom are ethnic minorities. They all live far from home and are still unfamiliar with many things, so we always consider teachers at boarding schools not only as teachers, but also as second parents to their students. We try to create a happy, family-like environment so that students can study and practice with peace of mind, while also helping them preserve their ethnic cultural identity.”

Teacher Nguyen Thi Khanh, the school's Youth Union leader, added: "When they first started school, many children were still young and not used to collective living. Teachers had to guide them from the smallest things like eating, bathing, folding clothes... so that they could gradually adapt and practice independence."

The love and dedication of the teaching staff has helped students quickly integrate and mature. Ba Che Boarding School has thus truly become a second home for hundreds of students in the highlands.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities has mobilized maximum resources, facilities and teaching equipment to effectively implement the 2018 General Education Program. Professional groups are proactive and flexible in developing lesson plans, focusing on innovating teaching methods, shifting from testing knowledge to assessing students' abilities and qualities.

The school promotes the application of information technology, combining traditional and online classroom models; encourages practical learning activities, scientific research, builds classroom bookshelves, friendly libraries, open reading spaces; organizes science clubs, cultural exchange activities to comprehensively develop students' skills, abilities and personalities.

Thanks to those efforts, the learning results of the 2024-2025 school year have many positive changes compared to the previous school year. The number of students with good academic performance increased by 21 students (up 4.8%), and the number of students with good conduct increased by 57 students (up 7.2%). Students who are excellent in cultural subjects at the provincial level met the set target; in particular, the 9th grade excellent student team won 18 prizes out of 37 participating students (including 1 first prize, 6 second prizes, 9 third prizes and 8 consolation prizes). At the provincial level, there were 6 prizes out of 13 students participating; meanwhile, the cultural exchange competitions for grades 6, 7, and 8 won 49 prizes out of 86 students, 26 more than the previous school year.

These numbers clearly demonstrate the efforts to overcome difficulties, the persistent learning spirit of students and the dedication of the teaching staff in the Ba Che highland region.

Extracurricular activities at Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities.

The achievements of Ba Che Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities come not only from the efforts of teachers and students, but also from the province's attention and investment in education in the highlands. The renovation and upgrading of facilities; policies to support teachers and students of ethnic minorities; and the province's orientation for comprehensive education development have become important driving forces for the school to grow.

Hoai Minh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/geo-mam-tri-thuc-o-vung-cao-3379611.html