From Temporary Classrooms in A Pa Chai to 100% Graduation Rate

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This scene has become familiar to the teachers and students of Leng Su Sin Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School throughout the past academic year.

While many other schools enjoy stable learning conditions, teachers and students here have had to relocate, borrow facilities, and make use of temporary infrastructure to sustain teaching and learning. The former school site was handed over to facilitate the construction of a new multi-level boarding school.

Temporary classrooms, inadequately equipped functional rooms, and lessons that had to be rescheduled flexibly all caused considerable concern among many teachers.

In the country's far western border region, the greatest concern is not the shortage of classrooms but the risk of students dropping out of school.

Although they have had to borrow facilities and cope with inadequate infrastructure, teachers and students here have continued to engage in many vibrant learning activities. (Photo: Duy Linh)

The livelihoods of many families still depend on farming. After each harvest season, many parents must travel elsewhere for work. As a result, many students face a difficult choice between continuing their education and staying home to help support their families.

Principal Le Bao Khuong still remembers the beginning of the academic year, when the school had to inform parents about the relocation of learning facilities.

"We recognized from the outset that this would be a very challenging school year. Without effective outreach efforts, even a small number of students leaving school could affect the overall quality of education. Therefore, the school leadership and teachers worked together to visit every village and every family to encourage students to continue attending classes," Principal Khuong shared.

Principal Le Bao Khuong regularly visits classrooms to monitor learning progress and encourage students to overcome difficulties. (Photo: Duy Linh)

Not only the school leadership but also young teachers became special "bridges" between the school and parents.

Trinh Thi Lan, one of the school's young teachers, said that what concerned her most was not the lack of facilities but how to maintain students' motivation to learn.

Many afternoons after classes, Lan spends additional time tutoring struggling students. Boarding students receive academic guidance from teachers in the evenings. On rainy days, when mountain roads become muddy and difficult to navigate, teachers still make the journey to students' homes to understand their learning situation.

"Here, just a little extra care can give students additional motivation to strive harder. Many of them come from very difficult circumstances, yet their determination to learn is truly admirable," Lan said.

One such student is Chang Kim Dung, a Ha Nhi ethnic minority student of small stature who consistently ranks among the most diligent students in her class.

Her home is quite far from the school, and on weekends she often accompanies her parents to work in the fields. During periods of heavy rain, the road to school becomes even more slippery and dangerous. Nevertheless, she attends classes regularly.

"I want to study well so that in the future I can help my family and help younger children in the village have better access to education," Dung shared.

Stories like Dung's have strengthened teachers' confidence throughout a school year filled with challenges.

And in the end, the results came in a way that surprised many people.

Despite studying in borrowed and temporary facilities and facing inadequate infrastructure, Leng Su Sin Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School maintained its educational quality. Most notably, all 63 ninth-grade students graduated from lower secondary school, achieving a 100% graduation rate. The school also had 11 students win prizes in academic excellence competitions, while many others achieved notable results in sports and extracurricular activities.

The school regularly commends and rewards students with outstanding achievements, motivating them to continue striving for academic success and knowledge. (Photo: Duy Linh)

For educators working in border areas, these are not merely numbers.

They represent the result of hundreds of days spent persistently keeping students in school, countless visits to villages to encourage parents, and many hours of after-school tutoring. More importantly, they reflect the determination of teachers, together with the attention and support of local Party committees and authorities, to ensure that inadequate facilities do not hinder students' futures.

Do Thuy Giang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Sin Thau Commune, said that the school's achievements carry special significance given the many challenges facing the locality.

"The most valuable achievement is that the teachers have kept students in school and built trust among parents. This is a very important foundation for improving educational standards and developing human resources in the border region," he said.

In the late afternoon, when the school drum signals the end of another day of learning across the vast forests of A Pa Chai, groups of students happily make their way back to their villages.

Behind those simple temporary classrooms, dreams continue to grow each day.

And perhaps the greatest source of pride for the teachers and students of Leng Su Sin Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School is not that they studied under difficult conditions, but that they transformed those difficulties into motivation and achieved a school year filled with remarkable accomplishments in the country's far western frontier.

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