Coastal little girl full of energy

19/05/2006
After the class, Nguyen Thi Ha, the eighth grader from Nghi Thiet Junior Secondary School, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province, returns to her little house in the middle of rice field in Bac Thinh village. The house, without hands of a man but is very tidy and clean.

Ms Tran Thi Hoa, Ha’s mother, said Ha’s father died in a time when he caught fish in the sea. At the time, Ha was o­nly seven years old but knew how to keep the house and teach her younger brothers.

On the day when Ha’s father died, little An – Ha’s youngest brother, was o­ne and a half years old, so “Ha had to do every housework. Sometimes, I was o­n business for a week long, Ha replaced me to take care of the house and her brothers,” said Ms Hoa.

“The more Ha grows up, the more she loves and sympathises with me. I am always away from home for the whole day, from early morning until dark. From February to June during the herring fishing season, I am not at home for the whole night,” Ms Hoa said.

Ha knows how to grow rice, plough field and raise cows and pigs. o­n national holidays or Sundays, Ha follows her mother to sell fish at market. In summer holidays, Ha does part-time work to earn money for buying books and clothes to her and her brothers.

Ha often gets up at 4am to do the washing up, cook breakfast for the whole family and take cows to meadows. Ha spends the entire morning to do these work. She goes to school at noon. After the class, she does the same work. She often does the homework from 8pm until mid-night.

Despite the hardships and difficulties, Ha is presented with “Excellent Student” titles, “Obedient Child of Uncle Ho” titles and many other awards every school year.

“Ha is very clever and has a very good memory. I teach her technology and vocational guidance subjects, she understands my lectures very quickly and contributes good ideas to my lecture,” said Hoang Thanh Long, headmaster of Nghi Thiet School.

Being an excellent and hard-working student is a very reason why Ha still goes to school now. Residents in Nghi Thiet coastal area often quit school after primary school education. More than a half of girls in Ha’s village have dropped out of school to look for a job in cities.

“I o­nly think that I let her study so that in the future she will be able to write letters to me when she is far away from home. I dare not dream of greater things because I cannot afford her education. I have intended to let Ha out of school many times but seeing that Ha is very clever and hard-working, so I decided not to do such a thing,” said Ms Hoa.

“Although I have to work and study at the same time, I am determined to finish university education. My dream is to become a teacher in my poor countryside,” said Ha.

Nhan Dan Newspaper

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