Preventing students from dropping out of school in flooded areas of Nghe An

Ngăn dòng học sinh vùng lũ Nghệ An bỏ học - Ảnh 1. — Journalist Le Trung Kien - Deputy Head of Tuoi Tre Newspaper Office in Hanoi - awarded scholarships to students in flooded areas of My Ly commune, Nghe An on the afternoon of August 4 - Photo: DOAN HOA

On the afternoon of August 4, Tuoi Tre newspaper coordinated with Nghe An Provincial Youth Union to organize a scholarship award ceremony to prevent students from dropping out of school for students affected by floods caused by storm No. 3 (storm Wipha) in My Ly commune, Nghe An province.

Flood buried school

My Ly border commune is one of the localities in Nghe An that suffered heavy damage due to floods, including many families of students who were left penniless when the flood passed.

Although two weeks have passed, traces of the historic flood are still visible on Highway 16 leading to the center of My Ly commune. Along the turbulent Nam Non River, a layer of mud and dirt piled up about 5 meters high. Local authorities urgently mobilized machinery to level the road, clearing the way for relief trucks to return to My Ly.

Leading us through the landslide-ridden road to the scholarship awarding point, Mr. Nguyen Anh Doai - Secretary of the Party Committee of My Ly commune - said that the flood from upstream had swept away and completely buried 221 houses in the commune. Up to now, 6 villages in the commune are still completely isolated, accessible only by water.

"In addition to the houses being swept away and causing great damage, the children's school was also buried in mud, and teaching equipment was soaked in mud and damaged while the new school year was approaching," said Mr. Doai.

vùng lũ - Ảnh 2. — Many houses in the border commune of My Ly, Nghe An were swept away by floodwaters - Photo: DOAN HOA

Mr. Doai’s concern is also shared by hundreds of parents in My Ly commune. Among the valuable assets swept away by the flood were their children’s books, clothes, and school supplies.

Mr. Lo Van Duong - resident of Xang Tren village, My Ly commune, parent of Lo Truong Vy - said that in more than 50 years living in this border village, his family has never witnessed a terrible flood like that on July 22.

The Nam Non River is a peaceful place for fishing and a source of clean water for the villagers. However, the flood has swept away the sturdy houses that have stood on the riverbank for many years.

"We have lost our home and do not know where we will be safe in the coming days. What worries us most is that our children are about to start a new school year and their books and clothes have been swept away by the flood," Mr. Duong sighed.

Scholarships in time for the new school year

Mr. Nguyen The Vinh - principal of My Ly 1 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities - shared: "The school has more than 350 ethnic minority students, with many economic difficulties. Their family assets were swept away by the flood, some of them lost all their school supplies and books. The historic flood has made their already difficult families even more difficult."

On this occasion, Tuoi Tre newspaper cooperated with Nghe An Provincial Youth Union to award scholarships to prevent dropouts to 100 students in My Ly commune.

Each scholarship includes 3 million VND in cash and gifts of school bags, notebooks, pens... worth 350,000 VND/scholarship. The total value of the program is more than 335 million VND.

Receiving a new school bag and scholarship, Vi Chan Tha - a 7th grade student - excitedly said: "Now that I have new books, I will try to study well."

Mr. Ho Phuc Hai - Deputy Secretary of Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, Head of the Youth Union and Children's Affairs Department, Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An Province - said that in recent days, grassroots unions have joined hands with local authorities to overcome damage caused by floods, with priority given to schools.

"These scholarships are very valuable and timely for students in flood-affected areas before the first day of school. This is the community's sharing of love, lighting up the students' belief in a brighter tomorrow," Mr. Hai shared.

Journalist Le Trung Kien - Deputy Head of Tuoi Tre Newspaper Office in Hanoi - said: "We believe that the meaningful scholarships today from Tuoi Tre Newspaper readers will be the motivation to help children overcome difficulties soon, continue to go to school so that in the future they can grow up and develop their homeland and country."

According to statistics from the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, in the recent flood, up to 40 schools in mountainous communes in the west of Nghe An province were affected, causing an estimated loss of about 40 billion VND. Not only was there a loss of money due to damage to facilities and machinery, but many schools were also covered in mud and soil, requiring a lot of effort to fix them in preparation for the new school year 2025-2026.