Keep reading on Pho Ba islet

Teachers at the satellite school of Nguyen Huu Canh Primary School are still diligently teaching students. Photo: PHUONG LAN

The difficult path of teaching

For teachers at this satellite school, the journey to work every day is a challenge. Ms. Thai Thi Hoang Yen, a teacher who has been here for 5 years, said that every day she travels by boat 4 times, going in the morning, returning at noon, then leaving at noon, returning in the afternoon. Ms. Yen shared: “The biggest obstacle is the river. Most teachers cannot swim, they are just afraid to cross the boat. On days when there are strong winds and rains, the boat does not run, we have to wait until the storm subsides to take the boat to school.”

Currently, the school has 5 teachers teaching classes. The cost of ferrying a person is from 20,000 to 40,000 VND/day depending on the trip across the river and the water level. The school only supports a part, the rest the teachers have to cover. On rainy and windy days, strong waves cause teaching to be interrupted or teachers to be late.

Ms. Ho Thi Chi is a new teacher transferred to teach at Point 2 of Nguyen Huu Canh Primary School. Her house is in My Hoa Hung Commune. The ferry from there to Pho Ba Islet is more unstable than from the shore of Nguyen Du Lake in Long Xuyen Ward because when the tide is low, the ferry has to make a big circle for more than 15 minutes to reach the teaching point on the islet. "What we want is not only additional support for travel expenses but also a bridge from My Hoa Hung to Pho Ba Islet. If there is a bridge, I think no teacher will hesitate to come here to teach," Ms. Chi confided.

Through each small story, each very practical sharing of daily life, we see the enthusiasm and love for the profession, the intense love for children of the teachers at this small school. They always try to help students complete the primary school program, hoping that they will have a solid foundation to overcome the challenging "river" of knowledge.

Innocent smiles after school hours of students in Con Pho Ba. Photo: PHUONG LAN

Diligently sowing words

Although the number of students at Nguyen Huu Canh Primary School's Point 2 is only 17-20 students per class, the teaching intensity is twice as heavy. According to Ms. Chi, the biggest challenge is that students are not aware of reviewing their lessons at home. "Here, the amount they learn is just that much for me. At home, they do not review. For example, the lesson at the main point is enough to teach twice, but here they have to teach it 4-5 times and the students still cannot absorb it," Ms. Chi worried.

The underlying reason is that parents in Con Pho Ba are mainly workers or fishermen, so they do not have time to take care of their children. Love for students is the greatest motivation for teachers. Ms. Yen confided: “We teachers all know and understand the circumstances of the students here, so we are very compassionate and dedicated every time we go to class. We not only teach letters and bring new knowledge, but also teach them about morality. If we teach a day and a student cannot keep up with the knowledge, we cannot even enjoy our meal.”

With excellent academic achievements for 3 consecutive years, Lam Chi Dien - a 4th grade student at Nguyen Huu Canh Primary School (score 2) is determined to pursue education to move towards a better future. Every day, Dien spends about 7-8 minutes walking to school. Although the distance is not too long, during the flood season, the road near his house is deeply flooded. Sharing with us, Dien said: "My mother has to carry me through the flooded section before I can go to school by myself." Despite the difficult family circumstances, with both parents working as hired laborers, Dien always maintains good academic achievements in class.

Still worried

According to Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of My Hoa Hung Commune Nguyen Trung Nam, Pho Ba Islet is considered an "independent island" of the commune with an area of nearly 1km2 and more than 350 households living. The schools on the islet include: Kindergarten (nearly 40 children) and Nguyen Huu Canh Primary School's sub-school with 5 classes, 98 students, basically still operating stably, ensuring quality according to regulations of the education sector. Operational work is carried out well with close coordination of the Party Committee and local authorities, the rate of student mobilization meets the set target.

Despite the difficult situation, the school's facilities are quite adequate thanks to the attention of many benefactors. However, concerns about landslides and school safety are still the biggest concerns of the local authorities and people. Mr. Nguyen Trung Nam said that the complicated developments of landslides have seriously affected the school's facilities. The fence in front of the school gate and the playground are flooded, cracked and tend to tilt and sink. "Faced with this situation, the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune have repeatedly surveyed and requested the school to urgently use the remaining career funds to carry out urgent items such as reinforcing the fence, cleaning the playground, preventing moss and garbage, to ensure the safety of students. At the same time, we continue to make recommendations to the superior departments and branches to mobilize capital sources and career funds to better care for students," Mr. Nam said.

PHUONG LAN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-tieng-doc-bai-tren-con-pho-ba-a467081.html