From the mountainous provinces of Son La, Ha Giang… students who are children of ethnic minority workers returned to Hai Duong on the opening day of school, bringing with them the joy of reuniting with their parents.
After finishing her night shift at VSIP Industrial Park (in Luong Dien Commune, Cam Giang), Ms. Mua Thi Denh returned home to prepare to take her daughter to the new school year.
Little girl Lau Thuy Linh woke up early today. Her sparkling eyes could not hide her excitement. She quickly put each book that still smelled of new paper into her bag and told her mother: "Mom, just take me today. Tomorrow, Linh will go to school by herself so that mom can go to work."
Born in the mountainous province of Son La, when she was 1 year old, her parents went to Hai Duong to work. Since then, she has lived with her grandparents. The family's economy was still difficult, and her parents were not around, so she was quick-witted and understanding from an early age.
Her small hands carefully kneaded each button before following her mother to school. The little girl asked again: "Is it because Linh is not at home and has no one to herd her so her grandparents are selling her buffalo and goats, Mom?". Ms. Denh smiled and replied: "They will not sell the buffalo, my child. Go to school with peace of mind."
Ms. Denh shared: “A few years ago, my child was still too young, my husband and I just moved down here to work, our jobs were not stable so we asked my grandparents to take care of him. Now that my child is in first grade, I am trying to bring him down here so that he can have better learning conditions. If he stays up there, I am worried that he will drop out of school.”
“My hometown is a mountainous district. Even though the government provides a lot of support, the children still have to go to school far away. They have to walk several kilometers on mountain passes to get to school,” Ms. Denh said.
As she spoke, the mother's eyes could not hide her joy, even though she had just spent a sleepless night working. She was happy because from now on her child would have a good environment to study, and even happier because the family no longer had the situation of parents in one place and children in another.
Luong Dien Primary School has 7 students from ethnic minorities such as Dao, Mong, Nung, Tay... from Son La and Ha Giang provinces, who are children of workers working in industrial parks and clusters in Cam Giang district.
Ms. Le Thi Hong Thang, Principal of the school, said that for ethnic minority students as well as those from other provinces who have not yet completed their application, the school is ready to accept them, as long as they have confirmation of temporary residence from the locality and information about the parents' workplace. The students' hometowns are far away, so traveling to complete the application is very difficult. The school will create the best conditions so that their studies are not interrupted.
According to teachers who have been and are in charge of classes with ethnic minority students, although they come from the highlands to study, they integrate very quickly. During the learning process, there were students who spoke Mandarin with a lisp, so the teachers gave them extra tutoring after school.
With the dedicated guidance of teachers and the care of their families, the path to school for children in the highlands of Hai Duong is now closer than ever. The dream of becoming a teacher standing on the podium of little girl Lau Thuy Linh is no longer as far away as before.
VAN TUAN