New information technology rooms and computers given to students in mountainous areas not only bring technology to their villages, but also bring hope, arouse aspirations and provide equal learning opportunities in the digital age.
Amidst the vast fields and winding red dirt roads winding around the mountainside of Dliê Ya Commune (Krong Nang District, Dak Lak Province), Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School is home to nearly 300 students, most of whom are ethnic minority children. They live scattered in 5 villages, most of whose families still face many difficulties. The sound of the school drum every morning is the sound that awakens the dream of letters, sowing hope for the desire to rise from learning.
Over the years, despite the attention of the local government and the education sector, the facilities of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School are still limited. The 10 computer systems invested by the People's Committee of Krong Nang district since the 2010-2011 school year have all been degraded.
In the summer of 2024, through the introduction of teacher Ho Thi Sen, a member of the programme entitled “Computer Science Room for Children”, the school received 10 new computers right on the occasion of the opening of the 2024-2025 school year. After only a few months of getting used to it, Lo Thi Thanh Truc, a 3rd grade student, has become quite proficient in using the computer. Truc can type documents, search for learning information, and knows how to practice listening to English through online software.
Cao Xuan Trung, Principal of Nguyen Ba Ngoc Primary School, said that students from grades 3 to 5, when studying directly on the computer, were very happy and made positive progress in their studies, especially in the subject of Information Technology.
The 2024-2025 school year marked the school’s proud achievements when 1 student won the first prize at the district level, 9 students were excellent students in Vietnamese at the provincial level and 1 student was recognized at the national level in English (both were online competitions). Regular practice on the computer helps students to perform exercises faster and think better.
Nguyen Huu Tho Primary School (Muong Te district, Lai Chau province) is one of the most remote and difficult schools in the country.
Nguyen Huu Tho Primary School consists of 1 main school and 3 satellite schools, with 493 students, mainly Thai and La Hu ethnic groups. After more than 20 years of being attached to the Northwest highlands, teacher Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai cannot remember how many times she crossed streams, crossed forests, and traveled on roads with steep cliffs on one side and deep abysses on the other, to reach the satellite schools. The journey of spreading knowledge of Mai, currently the Vice Principal of the school, is a journey of love and responsibility.
Mai’s biggest concern is to shorten the gap between students in the mountains and urban areas, bringing information technology to remote villages, so that all students can enjoy the best learning conditions.
In the 2022-2023 school year, the school has 9 old computers and the district education sector supported 18 computers, but that number of computers is still not enough for students to use at all 4 schools.
Since being connected to the “Computer Room for Children” programme, in the past two school years, the school has been awarded 30 computers, giving students more opportunities to participate in online competitions. The number of students participating in competitions and winning prizes has also increased. Students are more enthusiastic about learning, more confident, and have more aspirations for the future.
With the desire to promote education in mountainous areas with technology, narrowing the digital gap so that students can quickly catch up with the development of society, the “Computer Room for Children” programme was born and started to be implemented from the beginning of 2023. Up to now, the program has connected and donated 204 computer rooms with 2,477 computers to students in 26 provinces and cities across the country.
Being attached to the programme from the beginning, Nguyen Phuong Lan believes that “information technology is not just a skill, but a door for students to access knowledge, integrate, and enter the wider world. Popularising technology in disadvantaged areas is contributing to creating equality in access to education and development opportunities for future generations”.
Sharing the same view, Hoang Hoa Trung, founder and operator of Nuoi Em Ecosystem, said: This model effectively utilises old computers from businesses after liquidation or surplus, helping to save costs while still bringing practical value. With about 70 million VND, it is possible to equip 12 to 13 sets of computers, enough to form a complete IT room.
Thanks to the practical and meaningful way of doing things, many units have actively participated, considering this a sustainable social project. With a strong implementation speed, it is hoped that by 2026, nearly 400 missing IT rooms across the country will be completed.
The cooperation of organisations and individuals not only demonstrates community responsibility, but also the joy of contributing to changing the future of students in difficult areas. In that remote place, students with knowledge, skills, confidence to integrate and master technology in the digital age, to continue writing the story of change for the village.
