Steadily "growing people" at the border

Teachers and students of Tan Minh Primary and Secondary Boarding School clean the classroom to prepare for the new school year.

New Khang Chien is a commune in the border region III located in the North of the province (based on the merger of the entire natural area of Tan Minh, Trung Thanh and Khang Chien communes), with a total natural area of 142 km2 with 17 villages, 1,300 households and a total population of over 5,600 people.

Overcoming difficulties at the border

In recent years, the school infrastructure system of the commune has been invested but still has many shortcomings. Entering the 2025-2026 school year, the whole commune has 47 classes with a total of 894 students studying at 3 kindergartens, 3 primary and secondary schools, the commune has 4 satellite schools (belonging to 2 kindergartens and 2 primary schools). In particular, the preschools, primary and secondary schools in Tan Minh and Trung Thanh communes previously had many shortcomings in facilities, with prefabricated classrooms and temporary rooms. Many students had to walk up to 15 km from home to school...

From the beginning of August 2025, all teachers of Trung Thanh Kindergarten gathered at the school to prepare for the new school year. Accordingly, they focused on decorating the classrooms, the dream flower garden, cleaning the campus... to create a friendly and loving learning environment.

Children of Tan Minh Kindergarten practice performing arts to prepare for the opening ceremony of the new school year.

Teacher Be Thi Diep, working at Trung Thanh Kindergarten, shared: In the 2025-2026 school year, the school has 50 students studying and taking care of at the main school and Ban Slien school (the school is 8 km from the main school with 14 students). Ban Slien school is located far from the center, has no phone signal, and no kitchen, but on sunny and rainy days, the school assigns staff to bring each meal from the main school to the school for the children on time.

Ms. Diep added: "School facilities are still lacking, but we do everything we can to make it a happy day for the children to go to school, to learn in a loving and responsible environment, to help them access knowledge and gradually improve their physical health to help them excel in life later on."

Hoang Thu Ha, grade 3, Tan Minh Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, practices performing arts in preparation for the opening day of the new school year.

Saying goodbye to the teachers and students of Trung Thanh Kindergarten, we traveled 25 km to visit the teachers and students of Tan Minh Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities and Po Khao Primary School (the farthest school in the commune, from this school to the headquarters of the Party Committee of Khang Chien commune is 41 km long). In the autumn sunshine, dozens of students, parents and teachers are actively participating in general cleaning of the school, practicing performing arts to prepare for the opening ceremony of the new school year.

Mr. Truong Van Tra, Principal of Tan Minh Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, said: This school year, the school has 171 students, of which 108 students have to travel more than 10 km to school. Although the school conditions for many students are very far, before the opening day, 100% of the students were brought to school on time by their parents to participate in cleaning the school and practicing for the opening ceremony. By the end of September 3, 2025, all preparations for the school were completed, the school was clean, the classrooms were beautifully decorated, and the children had new books and new clothes ready for the new school year.

Desire in the wilderness

The life of the people in Khang Chien commune still has many difficulties, although school facilities are still lacking, the will to excel in studying of teachers and students here is very strong.

Mr. Hoang Van Dai, born in 1983, residing in village 5, Khang Chien commune (formerly Tan Minh commune) shared: “My family's situation is very difficult, my wife had a work accident while picking in 2019 and was paralyzed in both legs, unable to work. The family has 2 children in grades 3 and 5, I work alone to take care of the family, for the future of my children, I always try to work so that my children can go to school and prepare the best conditions for them to enter the new school year like many other children".

Feeling the love of their father and mother, Dai's two children are both good students, including Hoang Thu Ha, a third grader who has always been an excellent student and won many high prizes in competitions for excellent students. In a simple but neat and clean level 4 house, with certificates of merit on the walls, Hoang Thu Ha said: "I will study well so that I can become a doctor in the future to take care of my mother and father."

Saying goodbye to Mr. Dai and Ms. Nhung's family, we visited the teachers and students at Po Khao school. Mr. Truong Van Tra shared: We are always dedicated and try our best to overcome difficulties to do a good job of educating and training children in Khang Chien commune. Because only doing a good job of educating and training "people" can truly become a strong "lever", helping people in Khang Chien commune change their lives and escape poverty sustainably in the future.

Teachers in the especially difficult border areas of the Resistance War were not only those who imparted knowledge but also those who sowed hope. The teachers did not mind the long distances, going to the villages, knocking on doors to each house to investigate and popularize and encourage parents and students to go to school. Along with that, the teachers also developed plans and designed lesson plans for free tutoring sessions in class, took care of each meal to ensure nutrition for the students... All of these demonstrated the dedication and tireless efforts of those who worked on "growing people" here.

The sound of the school drum on the opening day echoed throughout the mountains, signaling the new school year. For teachers and students of Khang Chien commune, letters are not only knowledge but also light, hope and aspiration of the difficult land. That is the story of the career of "cultivating people" of teachers and students of a difficult land to overcome poverty and build a brighter future, contributing to the poor commune of Khang Chien to rise up in the new era of the nation.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/vung-vang-tren-hanh-trinh-trong-nguoi-noi-xa-ngheo-bien-gioi-5057913.html