In one school in Ca Mau, nearly 80% of the students travel to school by waterway, due to various reasons that force parents to accompany their children.
Dat Mui Primary School No. 2 in Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province, has 350 students, with nearly 80% of them traveling to school by water, mainly by boat.
In front of the gate of Dat Mui No. 2 Primary School (Ngoc Hien district), there are several food and beverage stalls with hammocks for customers to rest in. These stalls are always crowded from morning to evening. The customers are mainly parents dropping off and picking up their children from school.
Ms. Chem My Hien (Cai Xep hamlet, Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district) has a granddaughter in the 3rd grade at the school, who travels to school daily by boat.
"It's very difficult for students to get to school here. They have to wake up very early to prepare. The river is deep and the current is strong, so I'm not comfortable letting my grandchild go by boat alone, especially during the rainy season. That's why I have to leave my job to go to school with her to take care of her," Mrs. Hien said.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ven (Cai Moi hamlet, Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district) said that she has three children attending Dat Mui Primary School No. 2. It takes more than 30 minutes to get from her house to the school by small boat. Taking the children by ferry would be expensive, costing about 50 to 60 thousand dong per child per day, so she takes them herself to save money.
Ms. Ven explained her reasons for accompanying her children and grandchildren to school: "Because the children have two school sessions, I drop them off in the morning and wait until they finish school in the afternoon to pick them up. Taking them to and from school each day would be too time-consuming and expensive. Before, I used to go crabbing, collecting snails, and doing odd jobs to earn extra income. Now, spending all day with my children means I've essentially given up my work, but I have to. I'm poor and illiterate, so I just want my children to learn to read and write so they can support themselves in the future."
Also sitting and waiting to pick up her grandchildren from school, Mrs. Ma Be Em (Cai Moi hamlet, Dat Mui commune) said that she has four grandchildren studying at Dat Mui Commune Primary School No. 2. Their parents work far away and leave them with their grandparents. Every day, from early morning, when the children go to school, she also packs her bags and goes with them, only returning home when they come home from school.
According to Mr. Le Duc Thanh, the principal of Dat Mui 2 Primary School, due to the lack of comprehensive road infrastructure in the area, most students still travel to school by water, mainly by ferry.
“Traveling to school by boat during low tide is difficult, making it easy to get on and off the boat and increasing the risk of falling. It’s especially dangerous on days with heavy rain and strong winds because many children don’t know how to swim. Furthermore, parents waste time and money on boat fares, gasoline, and food while waiting to drop off and pick up their children. Many families with many children will find it difficult to send their children to school,” Mr. Thanh shared.
According to Mr. Thanh, right from the beginning of the school year, the school has coordinated with local authorities to encourage boat operators to try to reach remote, less populated areas to transport students. At the same time, the school has encouraged parents who own boats to support parents who do not have boats on the same route, giving students a ride to ensure that all students can get to school.
Source: https://dantoctongiao.laodong.vn/van-hoa-kien-truc/theo-con-tim-chu-tai-mui-ca-mau-1407252.html
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