When Students Become Teachers: The Journey of Spreading Free Programming Knowledge

Vu Gia Bao – a student at Amsterdam High School, Hanoi has turned his passion for programming into an opportunity to share free knowledge with hundreds of students across the country, through the KAV Open Classroom project.

Passion for programming and desire to spread

In March 2025, while looking for a meaningful extracurricular activity, Gia Bao accidentally learned about the KAV Open Classroom project (Khan Academy Vietnam). With 3 years of experience volunteering at the educational organization Steam For Vietnam, he realized that this was an opportunity to both train himself and contribute to spreading technological knowledge.

Gia Bao hopes to spread free programming classes to many students nationwide.

“I want to prove that programming is not difficult, that programming has many practical applications in life. More importantly, I want to create an open classroom where students can interact, learn from each other and love computer science ,” Bao shared.

That spirit is also clearly felt by parents and students. Nguyen Chung, parent of Duy Anh and Duy Van, who are studying in grades 2 and 3 in Nghe An, shared: “Children in rural areas rarely have the opportunity to access these classes. We are grateful to the KAV team for providing our children with a free learning platform that is suitable for their parents’ economic conditions and satisfies their desire to learn. We are grateful for the persistent efforts and tireless knowledge transmission of the teachers.”

Overcoming pressure to grow up

Gia Bao's first class took place from March to May 2025, lasting 9 sessions. The number of students participating was surprisingly large, with one session having more than 500 students. Without a teaching assistant, and coinciding with the final exam period, the pressure made him want to give up many times. But with the encouragement of the KAV team, the companionship of parents and especially the students' eagerness to learn, Gia Bao gradually overcame the challenge. He learned how to manage the class, improve his teaching skills, communication, and coordinate online classes more easily.

Minh Hieu, a 5th grader in Tuyen Quang, shared after the course: “I have grasped the basic knowledge of Python to continue self-study on Khan Academy. Children in rural areas rarely have the opportunity to participate in classes like this, I hope KAV will promote it more widely so that many other children can learn.” Such feedback has become the motivation for Gia Bao to continue his commitment.

A teaching and learning session of Gia Bao at KAV Open Class with students.

These skills help him confidently participate in the international program Code in Place organized by Stanford University (USA), as well as directly teach children at SOS Children's Village Viet Tri, Phu Tho in July 2025. In the second programming class (taking place from August 2025), Gia Bao also had the opportunity to accompany an experienced university lecturer, thanks to which the class quality was more stable and many students completed the final exam very impressively.

From KAV open classrooms to larger projects

Looking back on the short but full of experiences journey, Gia Bao considers this a solid foundation to pursue free but high-quality educational projects, targeting disadvantaged students - those who have little opportunity to access paid educational services. For him, the KAV open classroom is not only a place to teach, but also the beginning of a long journey: bringing technology closer to all students and building an open, effective and long-term learning community.

“My experience at KAV has given me a solid foundation to pursue community education projects. I believe that if there are more open classes like this, many students across the country will see a new path for their future,” Gia Bao shared.

Gia Bao participated in the international program Code in Place organized by Stanford University (USA).

Gia Bao’s story shows the power of knowledge sharing. A 12th grade student, with passion and responsibility, has been able to create positive changes for hundreds of students in all regions, especially remote areas. That story also shows the great potential when students are not only learners, but also become knowledge spreaders. From an online class, the desire to share has turned into a journey of sowing seeds of knowledge, contributing to building a young generation that is confident, creative and ready to learn for life.

KAV Open Class is a model organized by Khan Academy Vietnam completely online and free of charge, with the support of a team of volunteers including teachers, students, pupils and professionals. Class content is rich, from Math, English, Programming, SAT preparation to life skills such as AI and Internet Safety, meeting the diverse learning needs of students across the country. Not only a bridge between learners and teachers, KAV Open Class also contributes to the formation of an open and equal learning society in the digital age.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/khi-hoc-sinh-tro-thanh-nguoi-thay-hanh-trinh-lan-toa-tri-thuc-lap-trinh-mien-phi-327866.html