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Many students in the charity class receive vocational training from Ms. Duc. |
From her class, hundreds of children have learned to read and write and have been admitted to secondary schools in the area.
A classroom for underprivileged children.
Every evening, the charity class at the community learning center in Group 15, Bac Nha Trang Ward, resonates with the sounds of children reciting their lessons, interspersed with the slow, deliberate voice of teacher Nguyen Thi Duc.
After finishing her lesson with one group, Ms. Duc moved on to teaching another group spelling; reminding one student to pronounce correctly, another not to look too closely at the notebook, assisting a student with a disability with holding a pen and tracing letters…
Few people know that Ms. Duc is not a teacher. Before retiring, she worked as a restaurant and hotel manager. Her life used to be comfortable and stable, but her journeys past garbage dumps and cemeteries, where many impoverished children eked out a living, troubled her deeply.
In 2015, the sight of dirty children wandering around collecting scrap metal at night, illiterate and unable to read, prompted her to make a difficult decision: to open a charity class. "At that time, I simply thought that if the children knew how to read and write, they would be less disadvantaged," Ms. Duc recalled.
The first students in the class were children who earned a living at garbage dumps and cemeteries. To make things convenient for them, she temporarily borrowed a small house right next to the cemetery to teach them to read and write.
Ms. Duc is giving a lesson to the children at the charity class.
The class initially had only 5-6 students. Over time, the class grew larger, and she began teaching children with disabilities. Because getting to class was more difficult for her than for her peers, she personally drove them to and from school. Rain or shine, as long as she had the strength, she went, hoping that no child would be left behind.
Dinh Nguyen Thu Tuyen still vividly remembers her first days in class. “Back then, the classroom didn’t have desks and chairs; about a dozen children sat on the floor, sharing books, but everyone was eager to learn,” Tuyen recalled. Now, Tuyen is a student at Khanh Hoa Economic College. Whenever she has free time, she returns to help Ms. Duc tutor the younger children.
From just a few students initially, Ms. Duc's class gradually grew larger. At one point, there were up to 80 students of all ages and skill levels. As the number of students increased, she decided to rent a house to use as a classroom, providing a more stable learning environment for them.
In the classroom, older students are always ready to mentor new students. This sharing creates a special learning environment where students not only learn academics but also learn to love and support each other.
Ms. Duc also adopted many orphans.
Using pension funds to support disadvantaged students.
The curriculum for the charity class, designed by Ms. Duc, closely follows the standard high school program, covering subjects like Math, Vietnamese, and English. Students who attend for over two years are able to read and write fluently, possessing sufficient foundational knowledge to integrate into public schools.
According to Ms. Duc, her class is just a "passing point." "I can't keep the children here forever. Only when they get into high school will they have a real chance to change their future," she said.
Since 2024, Ms. Duc has helped many children attend public schools in the area. However, her journey with her students hasn't ended. In the evenings, she continues to support them at the Community Learning Center in Group 15, Bac Nha Trang Ward. She encourages those who are doing well academically to improve. For those who are struggling, she provides private tutoring in the evenings, explaining things repeatedly until they understand.
Many students from her charity class have achieved the title of outstanding student, becoming a source of pride not only for their families but also for the person who brought them back to the path of education.
To ensure her students feel secure attending class, Ms. Duc not only teaches them academics but also takes care of them in the smallest ways. She uses her pension and takes on various part-time jobs: working in restaurants, driving a motorbike taxi, selling scrap metal, etc., to earn extra income to buy books, clothes, and pay for health insurance for the children.
Besides Ms. Duc's efforts, many philanthropists and schools have also joined hands to support and help the children have the opportunity to continue their education. New books, uniforms, scholarships... not only have material value, but also instill confidence in children who were once on the sidelines of their educational dreams.
In 2024, Ms. Nguyen Thi Duc was honored as a national exemplary figure at the " Ho Chi Minh - Journey of Aspiration 2024" program. For her, this was not only an honor but also a recognition of the persistent journey of her charity class for over a decade.
To this day, her classroom still lights up every evening. In the vibrant seaside city, there are no glamorous achievement boards, only the sounds of children reciting lessons, the slow pace of instruction, and the dreams of underprivileged children growing stronger every day.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/lop-hoc-dac-biet-cua-co-duc-post766565.html
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