Ethnic Mông children yearning for better schooling
For over a decade, Mùa Thị Hụa and her students at Đán Tọ School in Tà Mung Commune of Than Uyên District (Lai Châu Province) have been teaching and learning without quality facilities. Nearly 20 students study daily in a classroom space constructed from corrugated iron sheets.
Đán Tọ School is located in an area with difficult terrain, requiring travel through fields and winding mountain passes from the commune centre. It serves as the educational hub for the Mông ethnic people, with the aim of reducing travel distance for students. Despite the challenges, the school consistently maintains an enrolment of 18 to 20 students per academic year.
With over a decade of attachment to the school, Hụa well understands the challenges and shortcomings in providing education to the Mông village of Đán Tọ.
"In 2014, I started teaching in Đán Tọ. At that time, this school still had dirt walls. In the rainy season, it was flooded and at other times the sun scorched the area. Later, philanthropists donated a prefab school made from corrugated iron sheets. Although it was a big improvement, over time, the corrugated iron roof has deteriorated. On rainy days, the roof leaks, and during hot seasons, the
children struggle because the room temperature rises," Hụa shared.
Every day, Hụa begins her day at 7am, welcoming students and delivering lessons according to the curriculum. Over the past ten years, Hụa has acknowledged the ongoing challenges in life and the quality of education in this area, emphasising the need for significant attention and support from social resources.
"The students here are all from poor households, so getting to a school is already a struggle for the school and the government. Every time they see other well-built schools, they always wish to experience a more comfortable learning environment. Even though no one says it, I understand," Hụa shared.
The classrooms of the Mông children in Đán Tọ are modest yet vibrant. Here, Hụa and her students craft visual teaching materials using cardboard, wood and natural objects gathered from the surrounding mountains and forests.
Nguyễn Thị Yến, principal of Tà Mung Commune Kindergarten, highlighted the ongoing challenges in providing effective education despite some material support. She noted that Đán Tọ School remains the only one in the commune where students study in prefabricated tin structures.
"Tà Mung Commune has a total of seven schools. Because it is an extremely difficult commune, the material conditions of the schools are still gradually being improved. Among them, Đán Tọ School belongs to the urgent category that needs investment, especially as the rainy season approaches and the scorching heat of summer is drawing near," Yến shared.
Yến expressed the school's dream of investing in a new facility at Đán Tọ to provide better learning conditions for students as soon as possible.
Trịnh Ngọc Hải, director of Than Uyên District's Education and Training Department, stated that while most schools in the district have received investment for new construction, the focus remains on improving infrastructure, technology and teaching equipment to enhance education quality.
However, Đán Tọ School, located in an area where 96 per cent of residents are classified as poor or near-poor households, still faces significant challenges due to its deteriorating condition.
"The school has deteriorated over time and needs investment for students to have a better learning space. Especially in summer, Đán Tọ is very hot, with nearly 20 students in a 30sq.m space surrounded by corrugated iron sheets, which is very inconvenient," Hải shared.