Go to the village to find students.

After the Lunar New Year holiday, many students in the mountainous areas of Nghe An province have yet to return to school, leading to continued absenteeism. Faced with this situation, local authorities, commune police, and teachers have had to travel deep into the villages, visiting each house to encourage the children to attend school.

1(3).jpg — After the Lunar New Year, teachers in schools in the mountainous areas of Ky Son district (Nghe An province) climbed mountains and crossed streams to encourage students to return to school. Photo: NT

Student dropouts after the Lunar New Year holiday are not a new phenomenon, but this year they are still occurring in many localities, making it difficult to maintain student enrollment. The government and the education sector are striving to find solutions to bring these students back to class.

In Bao Thang commune, Ky Son border district (Nghe An province), many students are still absent due to family commitments such as weddings and funerals. Teachers and commune officials have braved muddy roads, traversing villages like Tha Lang, Ca Da, and Xao Va… to persuade parents to bring their children back to school. According to Mr. Le Duong Le, Deputy Principal of Bao Thang Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School, Bao Thang commune has 444 students, 100% of whom are children of the Khmu ethnic minority. After the holiday, 28 students have not returned to class, so the school has had to send teachers to their homes to encourage them to attend.

2(3).jpg — After the Lunar New Year holiday, many students in mountainous districts of Nghe An province did not attend school. To address this situation, teachers trekked through hills and mountains to reach remote villages and encourage students to return to school.

Not only in Ky Son, but also at Luong Minh Ethnic Boarding Primary School (Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district), after Tet, 50 students were absent, mainly due to difficult family circumstances and lack of parental attention. To address this situation, the Luong Minh commune police, in coordination with teachers, crossed mountain passes and waded through streams to reach each village and hamlet to persuade the families.

Lieutenant Nguyen Van Hung, Head of the Luong Minh Commune Police, said that five students at risk of dropping out have returned to class thanks to the efforts of the commune police officers and teachers. With the perseverance of the commune police force and teachers, the awareness of parents and students in the mountainous area has changed. To date, 50 students from Luong Minh Ethnic Boarding Primary School have returned to school.

According to the head of the Education and Training Department of Tuong Duong district, as of February 14th, there are still 117 students in the district who have not returned to school. The education sector is continuing to coordinate with the government and schools to disseminate information and encourage them to return to class as soon as possible, ensuring that their studies are not interrupted.