The gong awakens the learning movement

Every evening, when the school bell rings, the lights in the houses in Ngoc Lien commune light up. Students voluntarily sit at their desks, parents turn down the TV and radio to keep the space quiet. That simple bell is lighting up the spirit of learning in every family and every residential area in Muong land.

Mr. Trinh Dinh Binh, Party cell secretary and head of Lang Bua village, Ngoc Lien commune, rings the gong to remind students to go to class.

At exactly 7:00 p.m., Mr. Trinh Dinh Binh, Party cell secretary and head of Lang Bua village, took a small hammer to the end of the lane and struck the familiar gong three times, six times. As soon as the gong ended, the children playing hide-and-seek in the yard said to each other: "It's time for school, let's go home!" For more than 10 years, the evenings in Lang Bua village have always started like this. Mr. Binh said jokingly: "The children are used to it, they hear the gong faster than they hear their names being called."

From Mr. Binh's regular gong beats, Lang Bua village gradually formed its own learning routine. The sound of school hours is not only a command, but also a reminder for everyone to focus on their children's learning. The village has 171 households with more than 650 people. At night, every house reduces noise, leaving only the windows with lights on. Thanks to that consensus, the quality of students' learning has improved significantly. In the 2024-2025 school year, 104 students were recognized by the village's learning promotion association and 2 students passed university and college entrance exams.

At the same time, the gong in Cao Khanh village also rang. The gong of the village is more special than many other places, it is a bomb shell left over from the war, used to be an alarm signal every time enemy planes appeared. Now in peacetime, that sound has changed its role, slower, deeper as a gentle reminder for students to start self-study time. Every night after the gong, Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc, Party cell secretary, head of the front work committee of Cao Khanh village, and members of the village's study promotion association go to each hamlet to check on the children's study situation. The inspection is meant to encourage, remind those who are not serious and praise those who do well. "If any family lets their children play too much, we will remind them immediately. And children who study on time will be encouraged," said Mr. Ngoc.

As soon as the bell rang, Ha Le Nhat Vy, a 2nd grade student at Cao Thinh Primary School, Ngoc Lien Commune, sat down at her desk as usual every night.

Not only adults feel the change, but for students, the bell has become a familiar rhythm of life. For Ha Le Nhat Vy, a student in class 2C at Cao Thinh Primary School, the sound of the bell has been with her since her first days of school. Just hearing the bell, Vy immediately puts away her toys and returns to her desk. She said: "Now I can't invite my friends to go out because I have to sit at my desk to study at 7pm."

Thanks to regular maintenance, the learning movement in Cao Khanh village has many positive changes. In the 2024-2025 school year, the village has 9 students admitted to universities and colleges and 125 students at all levels were awarded. The Cao Khanh village learning promotion association also mobilizes monthly scholarships for disadvantaged students, contributing to creating more motivation for them to continue to strive to study.

The “Gong for Learning” movement was launched by the Ngoc Lac District Association for the Promotion of Learning (old) in 2013. Study hours are regulated from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm (7:00 pm to 9:00 pm in winter), except Saturday evenings and holidays. Each village or hamlet chooses a suitable form of signaling, such as: drums, gongs, loudspeakers or wooden fish.

Ngoc Lien commune was established on the basis of merging the communes: Loc Thinh, Cao Thinh, Ngoc Son, Ngoc Trung and the old Ngoc Lien. After the 2-level local government model came into operation, the commune reviewed, improved and continued to maintain the "learning gong" model in 41/41 hamlets and villages. According to Ms. Le Thi Loan, Chairwoman of the Ngoc Lien Commune Education Promotion Association, the "Learning gong" model has helped students become more self-aware and know how to arrange their time reasonably, thereby improving the quality of their studies. After the merger, the commune issued general regulations, directing hamlets to implement and integrate the model into the movements "Learning families" and "Learning clans" to create a spread.

The “school bell” has brought about clear results, students study on their own, parents pay attention to their children’s learning, and the learning atmosphere in the community is maintained in order. When replicated, the model becomes a driving force for competition between families and clans, contributing to preserving and promoting the tradition of studiousness in Ngoc Lien’s homeland.

Article and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tieng-keng-danh-thuc-phong-trao-hoc-tap-269374.htm