Diligently finding ways to get students to class

The new school year has been over for more than a month, but scattered throughout the classrooms of Chau Kim Hue Secondary School (Tuy An Dong Commune), there are still empty seats. “This is the seat of THT. This year, he should have entered 7th grade, but since the opening ceremony, he has not come to school. Teachers have visited his house many times to find, persuade, and advise both him and his family to continue going to school, but none have been successful. As long as he agrees to go to class, the teachers will give him books and notebooks. But T. absolutely does not share the reason for dropping out of school and still has no intention of returning to school,” Ms. Mai Thi Xuan Hanh, teacher in charge of universal education at Chau Kim Hue Secondary School, mused.

Ms. Mai Thi Xuan Hanh - teacher in charge of universal education at Chau Kim Hue Secondary School often meets and advises students to study hard to build their future. In the photo: Ms. Hanh talks with one of the students she brought back to school last school year.

The absent faces make the void in the classrooms more obvious than ever. “Every time I see the empty seats of the students, my heart aches. The children in this coastal area, just by stepping out of the school gate, can feel the sea calling, the work of making a living waving. Once they drop out of school, the road ahead will be more precarious than the stormy waves at sea,” Ms. Hanh lamented.

This school year, Chau Kim Hue Secondary School recorded 55 cases of students dropping out of class (as of September 2025). Of these, 13 students in grade 6 have not yet left school, 14 students in grade 7 have dropped out, 21 students in grade 8 and 7 students in grade 9. Most of them follow their families to make a living on shrimp and fish rafts in Dam Mon and Vung Ro.

In mountainous communes, the situation of students dropping out of school is also a difficult problem. In the 2025-2026 school year, Tran Hung Dao High School (Yang Mao commune) has 840 students, of which 562 are ethnic minority students. According to Mr. Mai Van Thanh, Principal of Tran Hung Dao High School, in the past 3 school years, the school has had about 25-30 students drop out each school year, most of them are 10th graders and often concentrated after Tet. The reason is often because the students are weak in their studies, so they get discouraged, quit to follow their relatives to work to earn money or drop out to get married due to customs...

Not letting children's dreams remain unfulfilled, teachers have tirelessly knocked on every door, convinced every parent, and persistently rebuilt the children's path to education.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tung (Chau Kim Hue Secondary School) is a senior teacher with rich experience in "retaining" young students. Last year, Ms. Tung's homeroom class had 5 students at risk of dropping out. Grasping information in a timely manner, closely following the students and their families, Ms. Tung successfully kept all of them in class. According to Ms. Tung, at the beginning of each school year, she learns about the situation of each student in the class, encourages them, and shares with them about the wide-open opportunities when they are able to study properly. "For students at risk of dropping out because of family difficulties, we support books, clothes, and mobilize benefactors to give scholarships. For students who are reluctant to study because of slow progress, teachers and friends tutor them so they do not get discouraged...", Ms. Tung said.

Mr. Le Thinh Phu, Principal of Chau Kim Hue Secondary School, regularly visits students' homes and meets with their parents to encourage them to continue sending their children to school.

Nguyen Tran Tan Tai (Chau Kim Hue Secondary School) said: "Thanks to the teachers' care, love and support in overcoming all difficulties, I can continue to go to school with my friends. I also understand that going to school is the easiest way to reach my dream, so I am trying my best to study well so as not to let my teachers down."

At Tran Hung Dao High School, in recent years, to limit the number of students dropping out of school, the school has implemented many practical solutions. In addition to establishing a mobilization committee consisting of homeroom teachers, parents' associations, village elders, village chiefs, etc. to visit each student's house to mobilize, the school also connects with philanthropists to join hands and contribute to support books and scholarships. Students who live far away are provided with free accommodation in the dormitory.

Mr. Mai Van Thanh, the school's principal, said: "In the highlands, people's economic conditions are still very difficult, so the children's meals are also very poor. Teachers in the school contribute their salaries to organize weekly meals with meat for the children staying at the school's dormitory, both to supplement their nutrition and to strengthen the bond between teachers and students, school and class."

Faced with the situation of students dropping out of school early, local authorities have continuously intervened over the years. People's meetings and propaganda sessions are held right in the villages and hamlets to remind parents. The authorities and mass organizations join hands to encourage people to change their thinking and encourage their children to continue studying.

According to statistics from the Department of Education and Training, from the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year to now, the whole province has about 200 students who have not attended class for many reasons. This situation makes us very worried. Determining that keeping students in class is a priority task, in the coming time, the unit will coordinate with local authorities and schools to support disadvantaged students, while increasing propaganda and changing parents' awareness. Each student who is retained in school is a new development opportunity for both the family and the community.

Deputy Director of Department of Education and Training Vo Thi Minh Duyen

Chairman of Tuy An Dong Commune People's Committee Tran Van Bien said: "We consider sending students to school an important task. Therefore, the locality regularly encourages people to change their thinking, considering education as an investment for the future. At the same time, the commune calls on benefactors to support scholarships, creating conditions for students to study with peace of mind."

With the persistence of the education sector and the active participation of local authorities, in recent years, the rate of students dropping out of school in localities has decreased significantly. Previously, the number of students dropping out of Chau Kim Hue Secondary School was about 100 students per year. In the last three school years, this number has decreased by 50%. Meanwhile, Tran Hung Dao High School used to have about 45-50 students dropping out of school, now it has also decreased by 50%. Although the number of students dropping out of school is still high, this is the initial result that confirms that the efforts of teachers and local authorities are not in vain.

Tran Hung Dao High School (Yang Mao commune) organizes free review sessions for boarding students.

Schools and local authorities have been trying their best to keep each child in class. However, to prevent letters from being forgotten in coastal villages, on fields or construction sites, more support from parents and society is needed. Because each student going to school is not only the joy of teachers, but also the hope for change for an entire village. “Without the cooperation of family and society, the efforts of teachers will hardly reach their destination. I hope that every parent understands that sending their children to school is the best way to help them build big dreams and ambitions for the future,” said Mr. Le Thinh Phu, Principal of Chau Kim Hue Secondary School.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202510/miet-mai-tim-cach-dua-hoc-tro-ra-lop-dbf174e/