Mountain School: a Job Only for The Dedicated

Life is hard in the borderland, but teachers in the mountainous province of Lai Châu are doing their best to bring young children to school so that they can learn how to read and write. Impoverished villages located deep in the country’s northern mountain range have become their second home. Many have been in these parts of the country for tens of years; some even left  their own children in their hometown to continue their work. These teachers, who are barely doing financially better than their poor students, are there to help local communities break away from vicious cycles of illiteracy and poverty, one young pupil at a time. It is a struggle for them, both teachers and students, just to get to school. Long and treacherous mountain dirt roads, unpredictable weather calamities and parents who are too poor or unwilling to send their children to school – these are just a few obstacles the incredible spirits face on a daily basis. It is an uphill battle they have to fight. But this is the first time there is hope in eradicating illiteracy in local communities, and it is all thanks to the nameless teachers who refuse to give up. That’s the big picture. For most of those teachers, it is enough to see brilliant smiles on the faces of young children in classrooms as they learn new things every day. (vietnamnews.vn Mar 25)