Thạch Sơ Khum, 36, practises spelling with teacher Trần Thị Châu. — Photo giaoducthoidai.vn

HCM CITY — The Bông Sao Primary School in HCM City’s District 8 is running a free night class to help improve education standards for migrants.

The students, both old and young, dropped out of school at the early age and followed their relatives to earn a living in the city.

But now they are going back to school, learning to read and write three days a week. 

Thạch Sơ Khum, 36, learned reading and writing later than others.

After dropping out of school in his hometown, Khum worked as a glass-cutter in HCM City. As soon as he heard about the class he registered and started to take a grade-1 class four years ago - a class normally taken by seven-year-olds.

It took him three years to complete the first grade class and he started grade 2 this September.

“I help Khum practise spelling difficult words during the class," his teacher Trần Thị Châu, 76, said. 

"At home, he practises with his roommates. Khum is a very hardworking student and attends all evening classes after a long working day. Although he is slow in reading, he always tries his best.”

During her 20 years of teaching at the class, Châu met lots of students with special circumstances like a father and a son attending the class together.

In spite of facing difficulties teaching students from various backgrounds, her sympathy with students helps teacher Châu overcome challenges.

“I am touched seeing the students try to learn in spite of facing pressures to earn money,” she said.

Nguyễn Hồ Anh Thư, 14, from Cần Thơ City, was born in a family of seven brothers and sisters. Her father passed away while her mother left home to get married to another man. Thư lives with her grandmother and has to earn a living to raise siblings.

Not having time to go to school in the daytime, Thư is lucky to have a chance to attend the evening class.

“The teachers are very caring. I will try to learn to be able to find a stable job and earn money to help my grandmother and siblings,” she told Giáo Dục&Thời Đại (Education and Times) newspaper.

Teacher Lê Thành Trung, principal of Bông Sao School, said most of students who took the evening’s primary class continued their study at secondary level, even university.

The school has created conditions for migrant students who do not have birth certificate and permanent residence status to take the night class and encourage them to take classes at a higher level, he said.

“Many of them are now married and continue to learn more. To me, happiness is seeing the students gain more knowledge and strongly overcome challenges,” he said. — VNS