VietNamNet Bridge – Education authorities in the Mekong Delta
informed that soon after the Tet Festival, the number of school dropouts
increased to 1,000, either because of poor academic results or for the
purpose of finding jobs to earn much needed money.
Many children in Vinh Thinh Commune of Bac Lieu Province
have quit school to earn a living. (Photo: SGGP)
Many school going children in Vinh Thinh Commune
in Hoa Binh District of Bac Lieu Province have quit from primary
schools. For instance, To Van Nghiep, 64, has eight children and 10
grandchildren, but only his eldest daughter has finished the first grade
and just three of his grandchildren are learning at a primary school.
The
situation is the same at the coastal commune of Luu Hoa Thanh of Dam
Doi District in Ca Mau Province where people live in and around forest
areas and travel on rivers. Most of the residents are too poor and have
low awareness of the importance of education.
At the
beginning of the academic year, the numbers of students were 451 but
that figure has dropped drastically. Two dropouts have gone with their
parents to work in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern province of Binh
Duong.
In An Giang Province, soon after the Tet Festival got
over, more than 1,750 students dropped out of schools, to go with their
parents to work in industrial parks or do part-time jobs like harvesting
in fields.
The regional educational authorities said Ca Mau,
Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh have the most number of
dropouts due to inconvenient traffic for students coming from distant
areas, low awareness of parents towards education and poor exam
results.
The provincial education and training departments have
ordered schools to work with local governments in encouraging students
and their families to return to schools. Local governments should help
disadvantaged families to find ways to raise incomes and awareness of
education.
Source: SGGP