Nghe An education sector and schools urgently overcome flood consequences

On August 8, a delegation from Nghe An inspected flood and storm recovery work, prepared for the new school year, and provided support to schools and teachers affected by the storm in Muong Xen, Bac Ly, and My Ly communes.

Schools gradually overcome consequences after floods

In Muong Xen commune, heavy rain combined with flood discharge from hydroelectric reservoirs caused the Nam Mo river to rise rapidly to a depth of 1-4m, forcing people to evacuate urgently. After the flood, houses, property and infrastructure in the area were severely damaged. The entire commune suffered an estimated loss of more than 137 billion VND. In the education sector alone, 5 schools (Nhan Ly and Binh Son 1 of Ta Ca Kindergarten, Ta Ca Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities and Muong Xen Town Primary School) were severely damaged. Floods swept away and damaged fences, classrooms and many teaching equipment. In addition, 4 schools in Binh Son 2 village, Ta Ca Kindergarten, Ta Ca Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, Muong Xen Kindergarten and Tay Son Primary and Secondary Boarding School suffered minor damage due to landslides. Estimated damage to schools is about 4 billion VND.

Binh Son 1 School, Ta Ca Kindergarten (Muong Xen Commune) is located right on the edge of the Nam Tip River. During the recent flood, this school was flooded up to the roof. More than 2 weeks after the flood receded, the school was only cleaned up, pushing mud out of the classrooms. However, the entire kitchen area, playground, and surrounding walls of the school were swept away by floodwaters. Inside the classrooms, utensils, toys, teaching equipment, and televisions were also completely damaged or lost, swept away by the floodwaters.

Although it is a separate school, Binh Son 1 has 2 classes with more than 70 children studying and boarding with the teacher. This school was built according to the school consolidation program, and has been in use for 20 years. There are only 3 weeks left until the new school year, the urgent issue for the school is to review and re-equip the facilities and teaching equipment, while ensuring the safety of teachers and students.

In the border commune of Bac Ly - one of the flood-hit areas, the education sector also suffered heavy damage. In particular, Bac Ly 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, the entire 2 boarding houses with 10 rooms were flooded, with rocks and mud more than 1 meter thick. The teachers' dormitory was also flooded with mud. Teaching and living supplies for boarding students and teachers including blankets, student desks and chairs, dining tables and chairs, refrigerators, and computers were damaged by the flood.

The delegation visited the main campus of Bac Ly 2 Primary School in Buoc village. Although the flood has been going on for 2 weeks, the recovery work is still in full swing. Currently, excavators and more than 100 officers and soldiers of Regiment 335, Division 324, Military Region 4 are assisting the school in scooping mud and soil out of the schoolyard, boarding houses for students and teachers.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa - Principal of the school shared: In the short term, we are cleaning and repairing usable items such as tables, chairs, beds, blankets, etc. to serve the living needs of boarding students. Regarding the two rows of dormitories for students and teachers, the school reported and consulted with the local authorities to repair them and put them into use when the new school year begins. However, in the long term, these dormitories after being soaked in flood water and mud have been damaged and unsafe. The school's wish is to rebuild them in a new area so that teachers and students can feel secure and safe in their boarding activities and teaching. Similarly, at the Buoc village point, Bac Ly Kindergarten, although the classrooms were not damaged, the kitchen and toilet areas were washed away and damaged by flood water. As the new school year approaches, the school wishes to rebuild them to ensure boarding for children.

In My Ly commune, according to initial statistics, the damage to the education sector alone is more than 10 billion VND. The flood directly damaged or swept away the facilities of the schools: Ban Xop Duong Kindergarten, My Ly 1 Primary Ethnic Minority Boarding School, Ban Xop Tu, My Ly Secondary Ethnic Minority Boarding School. In particular, My Ly 2 Primary Ethnic Minority Boarding School was completely damaged and could not be repaired.

No child left behind in the flood

The delegation of the Department of Education and Training directly visited and inspected schools damaged by floods in Muong Xen, Bac Ly and My Ly communes. Mr. Thai Van Thanh - Director of the Department of Education and Training of Nghe An shared the losses and impacts that localities, schools, teachers and students' families had to bear.

According to Mr. Thai Van Thanh, the Government has supported Nghe An province with 300 billion VND to overcome the consequences of floods caused by storm Wipha. Of which, the Provincial People's Committee has planned to allocate 50 billion VND for the education sector. The Department will provide this amount of money to localities and schools that have suffered damage to promptly repair and purchase equipment, ensuring adequate basic facilities for teaching and learning when the new school year begins.

The Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training also requested that schools clearly list the damage and propose detailed needs for equipment, books, and school clothes so that the industry can provide timely support. No student should be left behind after the flood or have to drop out of school due to lack of resources.

Previously, in the face of the heavy rain and floods affecting schools in the western mountainous areas of Nghe An, the education sector also launched a call for support. Recently, the sector has organized direct visits, grasped the actual situation, and promptly delivered support gifts to help schools overcome the consequences.

Not only schools, many teachers' families also suffered heavy losses due to floods, their houses were flooded and even completely washed away. On this occasion, the sector also provided timely support and encouragement to motivate teachers to soon stabilize their lives and return to work. In addition, many schools in lowland districts have also organized volunteer teams ready to help with both human and financial resources to help schools overcome difficulties.

According to the Director of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training, the heavy damage was caused by natural disasters, but in the midst of the disaster, the education sector as well as schools and teachers felt warmed when the local government, social organizations, colleagues and people turned to the flood victims. In response to that sentiment, the leaders of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training hope that teachers will overcome their own family difficulties, be more determined, and strive to achieve better results in teaching and learning.

For highland communes and ethnic minorities, at the beginning of each new school year, teachers and schools always have the task of mobilizing students to go to school. This year, due to the impact of floods and the difficulties of students' families, the head of the education sector hopes that when teachers go to school, they will put aside their own hardships, promote their responsibility, love, and dedication, and continue to mobilize students to return to school for the new school year.

Through the survey, Mr. Thai Van Thanh also said that in the long term, for schools that are severely damaged and unsafe to continue using, in the context of only 3 weeks left until the new school year, it is impossible to build new facilities in time. Especially in remote, isolated, border areas, the transportation of construction materials is not enough. Therefore, the immediate solution is for schools that are severely damaged to temporarily transfer students to safe schools and supplement facilities to start the new school year.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nganh-giao-duc-nghe-an-cung-truong-hoc-khan-truong-khac-phuc-hau-qua-lu-lut-post743384.html