Donating a 100 billion VND school to a mountainous region.

Teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang poses for a photo with students participating in the English teacher training project for Meo Vac, Ha Giang - Photo: VINH HA

During the transition between the old and new year, while families are busy celebrating Tet, enjoying the spring festivities, and traveling , Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang sits alone in his office at Marie Curie School (Hanoi), sending messages filled with concerns and hopes about the projects he and his colleagues have been and continue to support in the disadvantaged Meo Vac region (Ha Giang).

"I hope for favorable circumstances, good fortune, and good health so that I can complete the four projects to help the people of Meo Vac," Mr. Khang shared his wishes for the new year.

Four support projects

The four projects that Mr. Khang implemented and funded were: a reforestation project in Khau Vai (Meo Vac); online English classes for 2,600 students in Meo Vac over three years, from grade 3 to grade 5 (primary school); and training English teachers for Meo Vac through a selection and socialized approach, with approximately 30 students receiving four years of training and returning to work in the locality.

The fourth project, which was only discussed and agreed upon at the end of January 2024, but began construction right after the Lunar New Year: building a school worth 100 billion VND.

As someone who once ardently wished to take up arms and defend the homeland on the border, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang has been involved in education in disadvantaged areas since his youth. He once described the hunger and cold during those difficult times as something that permeated his very bones.

Perhaps that's also why he became more empathetic, and once he was a financially secure education administrator, he translated that empathy into concrete action.

It wasn't just four projects; on many occasions, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang responded to the wishes and appeals of his colleagues and the people, readily spending large sums of money to buy meals for students in disadvantaged areas or providing practical support.

Forty-five years ago, when I was 30 years old, I wrote a letter requesting to enlist because I wanted to take up arms to defend the northern border. But my wish was denied because I lost sight in my left eye, and my right eye was severely nearsighted with a prescription of 12 diopters. Since I couldn't use my blood and bones, I asked to use my sweat and strength to protect the borderlands.

Teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang

The 100 billion VND school

During the visit of the leaders of the Meo Vac District People's Committee to Hanoi in November 2023 to Marie Curie School, the idea of ​​investing in building a semi-boarding ethnic school in Meo Vac was raised.

In January 2024, Mr. Khang had a meeting with the People's Committee of Meo Vac district regarding this matter. He also finalized the decision to fully invest in the construction of facilities and equipment for this school, with an estimated cost of approximately 100 billion VND.

Under the direction of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang, Marie Curie School in Hanoi invited architects to begin surveying, designing, and preparing construction project documents, while also selecting a qualified contractor for the construction.

The project was officially launched on February 20, 2024, after discussions lasting less than a month. The school is expected to be completed in January 2026 and handed over to the People's Committee of Meo Vac District for management and operation as a key public school in the district.

This is a gift that a teacher in Hanoi wants to give back to the people and students in the far north. If everything goes according to schedule, the school could enroll its first class of students in the 2026-2027 school year.

Mr. Ngo Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Meo Vac District, said that the district leaders and the leaders of Ha Giang province highly appreciate the support of Marie Curie School in Hanoi and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khang personally.

"As an extremely disadvantaged district, lacking in everything, the school that Mr. Xuan Khang donated to us is all the more meaningful and valuable. It is something the people of Meo Vac have long dreamed of," Mr. Cuong shared.

"100 billion dong is a huge amount of money, how could you make such a quick decision?" - hearing this question, Mr. Khang just smiled. He didn't answer directly but shared another article that he said he really liked and found close to his thoughts.

The article raises the question, "What's the point of having a lot of money?" and expresses the view that: In the case of leaving money and assets to children, if they are talented and ambitious, they don't need to rely on their parents' money and remain perpetually in their parents' shadow. However, if they are not talented and have little money, it can be a source of trouble.

Therefore, if you have money but don't know what to do with it, you should build schools, hospitals, improve the environment, plant forests, establish scholarship funds, build libraries and museums, and fund scientific research… The points raised in the article "speak volumes" for Professor Xuan Khang's choice.

Teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang plays tug-of-war with students from Marie Curie School in Hanoi - Photo: provided by the school.

Forest planting and human resource development.

In 2021, three seventh-grade students from Marie Curie School in Hanoi collaborated on a book titled "A Piece of Forest for You".

This book aims to raise awareness and responsibility among young people in protecting forests, which is also protecting the living environment. The book is being sold with the support of the Resource and Environment Communication Center to raise funds for the program to plant 1 million trees to restore upstream forests in Meo Vac during the 2021-2025 period.

Upon learning of this, Mr. Xuan Khang, on behalf of the school, purchased 2,000 books to distribute to students to spread the meaningful message. The message for the new school year 2021-2022 was then decided by Mr. Xuan Khang to focus on planting 10,000 trees in Meo Vac.

That was the beginning of the reforestation project initiated by Mr. Xuan Khang. To date, this project has planted 12,000 cypress trees in Khau Vai (Meo Vac). After three years, these trees have grown to a height of 1.2-1.5m. The project is preparing for phase 2, planting 20,000-30,000 cypress trees in 2024.

In the 2022-2023 school year, when third-grade students first began studying the 2018 general education curriculum, which mandated English language instruction, the entire Meo Vac district had only one primary school English teacher. The risk of being unable to teach English to third-grade students that year was imminent.

Having learned about the issue from the press, teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang proactively contacted Meo Vac district authorities.

He proposed an online English teaching format for third-grade students. After conducting surveys and calculations to ensure quality, Mr. Khang decided that he needed to recruit more teachers.

Nearly 20 young teachers were recruited and thoroughly trained to teach online. Online teaching for 2,600 students has entered its second year and is expected to continue until these students complete primary school.

Support for English teacher training

Teacher Xuan Khang believes that support is needed for a more sustainable path forward. He raised the issue with Meo Vac district and the leaders of Ha Giang province regarding support for teacher training.

Local students studying English pedagogy or English at selected universities were selected. Based on the students' voluntary participation and commitment, Mr. Xuan Khang provided financial support for them for four years of study until they graduated and returned to Meo Vac to teach.

The total amount of support is approximately 12 billion VND.

Mr. Khang said that currently 17 students are participating in the project, and 13 more will be recruited in the near future. Students from this program are expected to graduate in 2026 and return to teach in Meo Vac.

One of the pioneers of private schools.

Teacher Nguyen Xuan Khang was one of the first educators to open a private school in Hanoi, along with many other educators such as Van Nhu Cuong, Nguyen Van Hoa, Nguyen Trong Vinh, Nguyen Tung Lam, etc.

Mr. Khang founded Marie Curie School in Hanoi in 1992, and it has been 32 years since then. He was the sole investor of the school and served as its principal until 2023, before moving on to the new position of chairman of the school board.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tang-ngoi-truong-100-ti-dong-cho-vung-cao-20240225101903552.htm