Huỳnh Quang Khải (pink tshirt) in his class for underprivileged children in Hiệp Thành Ward in District 12, HCM City. Photo qdnd.vn

HCM CITY – Huỳnh Quang Khải, a 31-year-old tour guide in HCM City, has been running a free class for underprivileged children in District 12 for 15 years.

The class, on 30D Hiệp Thanh 23 Street in Hiệp Thành Ward, was initially just a vacant space of about 20 square metres, with a tarpaulin spreading over the floor and a few old wooden tables and chairs for a few students.

The classroom had no walls or roof and could not be used during the rainy season.

However, the number of students gradually increased, from about ten students in the beginning up to 110 students at the most crowded times.

Many of Khải's friends had shared the news and raised VNĐ100 million (US$4,254) to purchase equipment for the classroom. Khải and his wife also contributed by selling their wedding gold to support the classroom.

Finally, with the help of many people, Khải was able to complete the classroom, which is now fully equipped with teaching equipment.

"I couldn't imagine that my classroom could be so well-equipped," he told the Quân đội Nhân dân (People's Army) online newspaper.

In a small corner of the classroom are metal shelves where Khải provides snacks and milk for the students.

Khải says his main job is as a tour guide. In 2008, he noticed many children in the neighbourhood lived in unfortunate circumstances. Some had to collect garbage and sell lottery tickets, while others washed dishes. All missed out on the opportunity to study. Most of the students are orphans; some are slow learners and have no school records.

He decided to open a free class for these children.

Khải's class runs from 6.30pm to 9pm from Monday to Saturday, teaching maths and Vietnamese language for students aged 8 to 19 from first to fifth grade.

In addition, the children also learn life skills. During this class, Khải shares his experiences of overcoming difficulties and tells inspiring stories.

Most of the students are orphans; some are slow learners and have no school records.

After 15 years, Khải has helped hundreds of young children learn to read and write.

Without any formal teaching training, Khải said he had to learn by himself to teach students of different ages and levels. He had all the textbooks and referenced books from first to fifth grade in his bookcase.

As each student had a different ability level, Khải had to prepare a separate lesson plan.

Realising the importance of English, Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Thy, Khải's partner in the tourism industry, has joined in teaching English to the students every Wednesday evening since October 2022.

Thy said: "When I saw Khải open a class to teach children in difficult circumstances, I was very impressed with his kindness, and I also want to contribute to the development of the class."

To motivate students to strive for academic excellence, Khải rewards them with coins they can exchange for gifts. The gifts can be a bottle of milk, a box of cookies, a package of noodles, or a bag of rice, depending on the coins they earn. The more coins they earn, the bigger the reward is. Due to their poor family backgrounds, most students exchange their coins for rice.

Khải has been running a free class for local underprivileged children for 15 years. Photo qdnd.vn

Lê Trần Hoàng Triều Vy, a 12-year-old student who is currently studying in grade 3, said she had nowhere to study before coming to this class.

“I always consider this class as my second home. I hope to gain as much knowledge as possible to have a good job in the future," she said.

Kpa Yot, the mother of Kpa Changs, expressed gratitude that she was very grateful for what Khải has done to her child.

“My husband and I earn very little money, so we can't afford to send our child to school," she said. "My child has learned to read and write and has made many friends from Khải’s class."

In addition, on the first and fifteenth days of every lunar month, Khải guides his students to make bánh mì and meals free of charge for local people in need. Khải said teaching students about love and humanity was as important as teaching them how to read and write. – VNS