There is no school bell and no pressure of grades. Yet in the small classrooms, learning continues day by day, making the summer more meaningful for ethnic minority children in the area.
Keeping up the learning rhythm during summer
Shortly after 7am, the courtyard of Suoi Hai school site, part of Cam Phuoc Dong 1 Primary School, is already filled with chatter and laughter. Groups of Raglai pupils excitedly call to one another as they head into class. Holding worn schoolbags and notebooks still smelling of fresh paper, their eyes shine with the same excitement as on the first day of a new school year.
Inside the modest classroom, teacher Vo Nguyen Thuc Van gently guides each pupil’s hand as they carefully form each letter. Some still stumble over words, and she patiently helps them sound out each syllable and corrects their pronunciation. From time to time, she bends down to adjust a pupil’s sitting posture and pencil grip before gently encouraging them: “Take your time. One stroke at a time, and your handwriting will improve.”
The scene has been repeated for more than a month, becoming a familiar sight during the summer break.
Nearly 50 pupils aged seven to 10 attend classes to review Mathematics and Vietnamese, practise reading and writing, and improve their Vietnamese language skills. For many of them, the summer class is not only a place to consolidate knowledge but also a bridge helping them enter the new school year with greater confidence.
According to teacher Vo Nguyen Thuc Van, most of the pupils use their mother tongue in daily life, so their ability to communicate in Vietnamese remains limited. If the summer break is too long, they can easily forget what they have learnt and gradually lose their study habits.
“What I hope most is that they do not forget how to read and write. If they can read better, write more neatly and become more confident speaking Vietnamese, then we feel that all our efforts have been worthwhile,” Van said.
Beyond keeping children engaged in learning, the summer classes have also become a source of reassurance for many parents who have to work on upland fields, knowing their children have a safe place to study, play and develop useful skills.
Sowing kindness through simple acts
Each lesson ends with notebook pages filled with handwriting and innocent smiles as the children receive cartons of milk and snacks from their teacher and volunteers. At weekends, the whole class gathers around warm meals prepared by Van and a volunteer group.
The simple meals not only provide extra nutrition but also create the warmth of a shared home, where the gap between teachers and pupils is bridged through care and sharing.
Teacher Vo Nguyen Thuc Van’s efforts extend far beyond the classroom. Through connections with benefactors, she has mobilised donations of rice, instant noodles, milk, clothing and other essentials to support disadvantaged Raglai households.
Together with a volunteer group, she has also helped dig and renovate more than 10 wells for residents of Giai Phong Residential Quarter, providing many households with access to clean water for daily use. These quiet but persistent efforts are helping improve living conditions for local people in difficult circumstances.
Hoang Dinh Hung, Standing Vice Chairman of the Ba Ngoi Ward People’s Committee, said that after more than a month of implementation, the summer classes had produced clear results. Raglai pupils have strengthened their Vietnamese language skills, maintained study routines and gradually overcome language barriers before entering the new school year. They have also developed life skills and taken part in a range of useful recreational activities in a safe and healthy environment.
“The locality will continue coordinating with the education sector and relevant units to make use of cultural houses and vacant classrooms at primary schools to expand the summer-class model, creating more learning spaces and activities for ethnic minority children,” Hung said.
Amid the intense summer heat, the sounds of spelling and reading continue to echo from the small classrooms at Suoi Hai. Every carefully formed letter today helps Raglai children strengthen their educational foundation and nurture dreams that are gradually taking shape. Sometimes, a child’s future does not begin with grand things, but is built from a summer classroom and from the devotion of those who quietly sow both knowledge and kindness.
