Honoring teachers who went to the South during the war, members of the Association of Retired Teachers of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Management Staff (Ministry of Education and Training), emphasized that throughout the 80-year history of the National Ministry of Education, the nation's history has recorded a special force: teachers who were deployed to work in education in the South during the resistance war against the US to save the country (teachers who went to the South) from 1961 to April 30, 1975.

Over 3,000 teachers and education students in the North heeded the call of their kin in the South, setting aside their pens and books, leaving behind their youth, schools, families, friends, and generations of students to go to the South to build schools, teach, fight, and support education in the South during the fierce years of war.

Mr. Pham Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Teachers and Educational Management Staff, highlighted the important role of teachers who went to the South during the war in the development of Vietnamese education.

Mr. Pham Tuan Anh affirmed: "The teachers who went to the South were a symbol of noble ideals, bringing the light of education to the war-torn land. These teachers not only taught literacy but also inspired and instilled willpower in students and the people of the liberated areas. They were the ones who laid the foundation for the development of education in the South during the years of resistance against the US."

In the 1960s and 70s, these teachers were all young educators teaching at secondary schools and teacher training colleges; many had just graduated from university or college and enthusiastically volunteered to pack their bags and cross the Truong Son Mountains with the fervor of patriotic educators.

Representatives of the families of deceased teachers who went to the South expressed their emotion at receiving the attention and gratitude from the leaders of the Ministry of Education and Training .

When they went to the South, the teachers, mostly between 22 and 30 years old, accepted the sacrifice of leaving behind their beloved families, elderly fathers, frail mothers, young wives, small children, and sometimes even unfinished love affairs. These immense losses and sacrifices cannot be fully documented in writing.

Each person has their own story, their own unique circumstances to overcome, but all share a common ideal: to bring the light of scientific knowledge and sow the seeds of intellect for the children of the people and cadres and soldiers in the liberated areas of Southern Vietnam, contributing to the training of a generation with the aspiration to win independence and freedom for the Fatherland.

The teachers who went to the South during the war are now all at an age rarely seen before.

Teacher Tran Tinh, former Deputy Chief of the Central Party Office, represented the honored teachers and delivered a speech expressing his thoughts at the ceremony.

The presence of teachers on the battlefields of Southern Vietnam during the years of fighting and simultaneously carrying out educational duties demonstrated an indomitable and resilient spirit, contributing to writing a golden chapter in the history of Vietnam's education sector. Regardless of the difficulties and hardships, the revolutionary cause of education continued to exist and develop, ensuring that the children of the people had access to education and that the cultural level of the people was always being raised.

On April 30, 1975, teachers in their liberation army uniforms returned to take over educational facilities in the South. The contributions of these teachers, along with the resistance teachers, played a decisive role in stabilizing education in the South after liberation. Therefore, just 5-6 months after liberation, all schools resumed the 1975-1976 school year, allowing students to return to normal classes and contributing to a peaceful life for the people of the South.

Teachers who went to the South and representatives of the families of some of those teachers took a commemorative photo at the end of the program.

"We, the younger generation of educators and civil servants continuing the legacy of our predecessors, always remember and appreciate the contributions and examples of those who came before us, such as our teachers, to strive, overcome all difficulties and challenges in the tasks of the new era, and build a developed economy in the new age," Mr. Pham Tuan Anh expressed.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/vinh-danh-cac-nha-giao-di-b-thuoc-hoi-cuu-giao-chuc-bo-gddt-post759446.html