School after the storm and flood: Community shares, school gates open wide

GD&TĐ - Schools in areas affected by storms and floods urgently cleaned up mud and mobilized all resources to overcome immediate difficulties to quickly stabilize teaching and learning activities.

Students returning to school is one of the signs that life has gradually revived and stabilized after the floods.

Keep the learning rhythm for students

Over the past few days, heavy rains have caused the main campus and two satellite campuses of Phuoc Son Primary School No. 2 (Tuy Phuoc Dong Commune, Gia Lai ) to be submerged in water. While most schools in the area have cleaned up and allowed students to return to school since November 24, it was not until November 27 that this low-lying school could welcome students back to class.

Mr. Vo Huu Hieu - Principal of the school, said that the school area is located in a low-lying area, so every time it rains heavily, it is heavily flooded. As soon as the water recedes, the school, together with local authorities and military forces, urgently cleans up to bring students back to school in time. However, some roads are still flooded, so in the first days, the school asked parents to pick up and drop off students to ensure safety.

In the immediate future, Phuoc Son Primary School No. 2 will prioritize the re-roofing of the broken and damaged tiled roof to stabilize teaching and learning. The electrical system and fans were damaged by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and the recent flood continued to be heavily damaged but cannot be repaired due to limited funding. Some other items such as the garage, classroom ceilings, etc. have been surveyed and plans for repair have been made by the Commune People's Committee.

“Due to the 10-day break to avoid storms and floods, the school has notified parents about the plan to make up for lost classes on Saturday and Sunday to keep up with the program schedule according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training ,” Mr. Hieu informed.

Similarly, Nhon Binh Primary School No. 2 (Quy Nhon Dong Ward, Gia Lai Province) also had to organize make-up classes on Thursday and Friday afternoons and all day Saturday to keep up with the program schedule.

Mr. Ho Sy Viet - Vice Principal of the school, said that the school has 649 students, of which more than 93% of their families were flooded, property and books were damaged in the recent floods. "Fortunately, the school received timely support so students have enough books and clothes to go to class. The make-up classes also received the consent of parents, thanks to which the unit has completed about half of the required program volume. Teachers and students are working hard to ensure knowledge," Mr. Viet shared.

At Tran Ba ​​Secondary School (Tuy Phuoc Commune, Gia Lai Province), the recent flood damaged a series of equipment and facilities, such as: 8 televisions, 70 sets of tables and chairs, 1 photocopy machine, 20 computers and 25m of fence... Total damage is estimated at more than 470 million VND.

Mr. Huynh Van Hai - Principal of Tran Ba ​​Secondary School, said that although many equipments were severely damaged, teachers and students still organized teaching as usual right after cleaning up the classrooms. Some televisions are being repaired, and the school is also considering buying new ones if they cannot be fixed. While waiting for equipment, teachers are proactive and flexible, using visual materials and traditional methods to ensure that knowledge transfer is not interrupted.

According to Mr. Vo Ngoc Sy - Deputy Director of Gia Lai Department of Education and Training, the total damage caused by storm Kalmaegi and floods to the provincial education sector is estimated at more than 166 billion VND. In particular, textbooks and school supplies at all levels were damaged, about 448,202 books and more than 4,160 sets of school supplies. After the weather stabilized, schools proactively coordinated with local authorities to overcome the consequences. In addition, they disinfected the environment, checked the safety of construction works and only organized teaching when conditions were met. At the same time, schools developed plans for make-up classes and provided psychological support for students in heavily affected areas.

On November 28, students of Tra Leng 1 Primary Boarding School (Tra Leng Commune, Da Nang City) returned home on the weekend after nearly a month of staying at school to make up for the nearly half-month absence due to the effects of floods at the end of October.

To keep up with the school year program, schools in 5 highland communes of the old Nam Tra My district, Da Nang city (belonging to the old Nam Tra My district) all have to organize make-up classes. At the primary level, schools use extra classes such as library reading, Vietnamese language, Life skills... to teach Math and Vietnamese. In addition, each class will have 1 more class, and make-up classes will be organized on weekends.

For secondary schools, schools increased the number of hours in the day; taught extra classes to main classes and made up for them on Saturdays and Sundays. Thanks to that, by November 15, all schools were on track with the school year's curriculum. The mid-term exams were conducted in the form of teachers testing the knowledge of each class taught; according to the general exam approved by the school.

Phan Chau Trinh High School (Hai Chau Ward, Da Nang City) supports Quang Trung - Dong Giang High School with funds to repair the domestic water system from donations from staff and students. Photo: NTCC

Support for students and schools in flood-affected areas

In early December, a bustling atmosphere returned to many schools in Khanh Hoa after the historic floods. At Vinh Hiep Primary School (West Nha Trang Ward), 100% of students attended class.

Ms. Nguyen Nguyen Kim Khuong - Vice Principal in charge of the school, said that the deep flood caused 25 computers in the IT room, all the equipment and files, and nearly 300 sets of plywood tables and chairs to be submerged in water. Thanks to the support of the government and functional forces, the school quickly cleaned up and temporarily repaired the situation to reopen for teaching from November 24. However, many classes still lack textbooks and have to combine classes because there are not enough tables and chairs.

At Dien An 2 Primary School (Dien Khanh Commune), 371 students have also returned to school. Many families here were deeply flooded, so students' clothes and books were completely damaged. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, a parent, said: "My family was deeply flooded, all the children's books were wet, so the children only brought their notebooks to school, and had to wait for books to be distributed."

At Vinh Thanh Primary School (West Nha Trang Ward), floodwaters rose up to 2m high, damaging all televisions, tables, chairs, and electronic equipment; nearly 100m of fence collapsed. Principal Pham Dinh Quang said that despite the heavy damage, the school still made efforts to welcome 1,335 students back to school. The school also planned to purchase equipment and make-up teaching schedules to ensure the year's curriculum for students.

According to statistics from the Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training, the recent floods have affected 162 educational establishments with about 57,000 children and students needing support. Many teaching equipment were damaged such as 584 computers, 472 televisions, 33 projectors; along with 7,470 sets of student desks and chairs and 308 sets of teacher desks and chairs. The total cost to repair the damage is estimated at nearly 79 billion VND.

Immediately after the flood receded, the Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training directly inspected the current situation of schools, directed units to urgently fix the problem and ensure safety so that students could return to class soon.

At the places that were once deeply flooded, teachers, soldiers and parents were busy shoveling mud, rearranging tables and chairs, drying files and books. Many people temporarily put aside the task of cleaning up their messy houses to join hands in restoring their schools. Thanks to that effort, most schools have temporarily repaired the damage, and the health sector has supported disinfection, ensuring environmental hygiene for normal teaching and learning.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan - Chief of Office of Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training, said that up to now, all students in flooded areas have returned to school, ensuring 100% attendance. In addition to repairing facilities, the provincial Department of Education is continuing to count the damage to have a long-term solution, creating a safe and clean learning environment for students.

Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training has also received nearly 200,000 textbooks worth more than 4 billion VND from Vietnam Education Publishing House and its member units to support students affected by floods. Previously, the Provincial Party Standing Committee agreed to support 300,000 VND/affected student to buy uniforms, and 500,000 VND/student from primary to high school in flooded households or in difficult circumstances to buy books and school supplies.

“In the coming time, the whole industry will continue to focus on repairing and renovating damaged items. In addition, we will proactively prevent epidemics after the storm, ensuring a safe and stable learning environment for students,” said Mr. Sy.

Representative of Vietnam Education Publishing House presented symbolic board of textbook donation to leaders of Khanh Hoa Department of Education and Training.

The school helps the school repair its facilities.

After the prolonged floods at the end of October, the drinking water and living water systems of the Quang Trung - Dong Giang High School (Da Nang City) were washed away, affecting the lives of more than 300 students. In the spirit of mutual love, Phan Chau Trinh High School (Hai Chau Ward, Da Nang City) launched an internal fundraising campaign to help the other school recover soon.

In this second campaign, Phan Chau Trinh High School received nearly 65 million VND, of which 50 million VND was used to support the repair of drinking water and living systems in the dormitory. The remaining funds were used by the School Youth Union to buy notebooks to give to elementary school students, continuing to spread the sharing journey from the city to the highlands.

During the 3 days of launching and receiving support from parents, Le Dinh Chinh Primary School (Hoa Cuong Ward, Da Nang) donated 70 million VND in cash, more than 2,000 notebooks, 20 cartons of milk and many new school supplies and school bags.

Ms. Huynh Thi Thu Nguyet - Principal of the school, said: "The school plans to use this funding source in coordination with Hoa Cuong ward and a number of businesses to award scholarships to students in heavily flooded areas in the old Phu Yen to partly support the reconstruction of their families' lives after the flood."

The Department of Education and Training of Da Nang has launched a movement called “Schools help schools overcome the consequences of the storms that lasted for half of October”. Hai Ba Trung Primary School (Son Tra Ward) through two fundraising rounds sent support to its sister unit, Tra Leng 1 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, with the amount of 101 million VND, contributing to sharing difficulties and helping students improve their learning and living conditions.

Mr. Vo Ngoc Sy - Deputy Director of Gia Lai Department of Education and Training, said: "In the coming time, the whole sector will continue to focus on repairing and renovating damaged items. In addition, proactively preventing epidemics after the storm, ensuring a safe and stable learning environment for students."

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/truong-hoc-sau-bao-lu-cong-dong-se-chia-cong-truong-rong-mo-post759028.html