VietNamNet Bridge – There are interesting stories about the thirst for study of many families in Khoai Chau district, in the northern province of Hung Yen.

Villages of fondness for learning

Teacher Nguyen Ngoc He.

The communes of Thuan Hung, Dai Hung in Khoai Chau district are known to have hard-working people, with brick making as their traditional trade. However, their greatest pride is not big houses or expensive motorbikes but their children’s outstanding achievement in study.

Teacher Nguyen Ngoc He, headmaster of the Dai Hung High School, said that in recent years, Dai Hung commune always took the lead in the ratio of students who entered universities compared to other communes in the province.

“In the past, local people were keen on making money so they neglected study. They were not aware of the importance of study. Many families did not send their children to school and many children did not want to go to school. But since families realized of the significance of study and encouraged their children to study, the situation has gradually changed. Many families which did not have any child who graduated from high school in the past now have many children who are university students,” teacher He said.

According to the teacher, some families have set up family funds for study encouragement. Building funds for study encouragement has spread from several families in a village to many families in different villages to become a campaign in Dai Hung commune. This campaign has made positive influence on studying campaigns in the commune.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Tang, a representative of the Nguyen Huu family, in Dai Hung commune said that in the Nguyen Huu family, there are families with two generations working as teachers and many family members being bachelors, engineers, master and doctoral degree holders.

“Poor families still strive to send their children to school. Many orphans and poor children attained achievement in studies,” Tang said.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, members of the Nguyen Ngoc family in Dai Quan village of Dai Hung commune gathered for their ancestor worshipping ceremony.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Oanh, the Nguyen Ngoc family’s head, said that this has been maintained as a tradition of this family for many generations.

On this day, besides discussing important issues within the family, honoring children with outstanding study achievement is a key part.

Any member in the family who enters university is named in the family’s golden book, presented a certificate of merit and small bonus of VND50,000-100,000 ($2.5-5).

“This is the sacred day of our family when we report to our ancestors the situation of the family and more importantly, this is a chance to remind our family members of being grateful to our ancestors, to give their mind to improving their study and to strive for building the family,” Mr. Oanh said.

In this land, study has become the will of families. “Money or gold are less valuable than having family members who study well, bring fame to families and contribute to the traditional fondness of learning,” said a patriarch of Sai Thi village.

At present, most of families in Dai Hung commune have funds for study encouragement, with different regulations. Many small families have important positions in their villages because they have many members who attain outstanding achievement in study.

“There is a latent race among families for study,” said teacher Nguyen Ngoc He.

Villages organize their festival each three years. This is a chance for families to show off their role and their success in study.

Entering university, receiving gold as bonus

Ten years after the family fund for study encouragement was
established, the tael of gold found its owner – Dinh Thi Hien (pink(, who became
a student of the Hai Phong University.

 
For rural people, entering a university is a big dream. In Thuan Hung commune of Khoai Chau district, Hung Yen province, some families have funds for study encouragement worth hundreds of million dong. They also offer big rewards to any family member who enters university.

The Dinh family in Thuan Hung commune offered bonus of one tael of gold for the first family member who became university student has become an anecdote in the region.

Mr. Dinh Huu Hung, 75, a senior member of the Dinh family, said that special bonus was launched by a family member who worried about the family’s prolonged illiterate situation.

“For many years, many families did not pay attention to study because of poverty. As result, most children in our Dinh family quited study at the age of 14-15. Only several kids graduated high school. Senior members in the family were very worried about this fact,” Hung recalled.

In 1999, the family chief, Mr. Dinh Huu Hong, suggested to set up a fund for study encouragement. Hong was very poor but he tried his best to send his children to school. His children have studied very well and successes in their lives. Understanding of the role of study, Hong was determined to help his Dinh family to understand it.

In late 1999, Hong contributed VND315 million (around $30,000) to the fund for study encouragement of the Dinh family. Following Hong’s example, other members donated money to the fund. All money was deposited at bank and interest money would be given to those with outstanding study result as bonus.

The Dinh family’s rewards for study are big. According to the family’s decision, children who pass exams to enter high schools will be granted with a bicycle and VND500,000 ($25), VND20 million ($1,000) for those who enter colleges and the first person who enter university will be rewarded with one tael of gold.

Ten years after the family fund for study encouragement was established, the tael of gold found its owner – Ms. Dinh Thi Hien, who became a student of the Hai Phong University.

Today, the Dinh family is very proud to have many children who are university students.

“The fund for study encouragement has had certain effectiveness in changing the awareness and action of family members. Before 2009, the Dinh family did not have any children who were outstanding students. At present, our family has outstanding students of all levels and around ten university students,” said Mr. Hung.

“There is a special case in my family. Three sisters in a family whose parents died early study very well. Two of them are now university students. The youngest is a secondary-school student and she studies very well. I’m proud to have such children in our family,” Hung added.

The Dinh family’s fund for study encouragement continues to assist family members who are eager for learning. Those who are university students are granted with VND2-5 million annually. Secondary and high school students whose families are poor are provided with VND300,000/month.

“The material value of rewards for study of our family is not very big but it helps raise up the eagerness for study of family members,” Hung said.

Quynh Anh