A Hen and A Nguyen, two 15-year-old students at the local secondary school, get up earlier than other classmates to go fishing at a spring near their dorm. They are seeking a bit of extra nourishment for lunch.
The two ninth-graders, who are much smaller than city children of the same age, take about an hour to catch a few little fish.
A Nguyen says fishing for food is part of their school life as their homes are too far away to commute every day - and Government support money has failed to come through.
Until last school year, every ethnic student received a Government allowance of VND140,000 (US$7) each month to cover daily expenses.
Under a new Government decision (No. 85/2010/QD-TTg) taking effect this year, student support has been increased to VND332,000 ($16).
But, after more than a month since the start of the new school year, none of the money has yet been received at the school. So, before or after school, the students all help catch fish at the spring, cut wood for the fire or forage for vegetables and herbs in the forest.
School principal Hoang Van Dam said the school had nearly 450 students, all from the Xe Dang ethnic group. He added that most lived at school although it was not set up to take boarders.
The local people are now more aware of the importance of study, allowing and encouraging their children to go to school.
But the tribal people have little cash to pay for schooling and meals.
"The school makes a big effort to provide enough meals for the children, which help keeps them at school," Dam said.
He had to buy two tonnes of rice and 400kilos of dried fish, oil and spices on credit to ensure regular meals for its students, he said.
In the meantime, the students fish and forage and the teachers donate some of their meagre earnings to buy extra vegetables. They also help students grow vegetables and raise fish.
Vice principal Bui Huu Duy said that seeing local ethnic students attend school made the teachers happy and that they would keep making efforts to help them.
Duy said the school had called for support from students' families, local people and authorities to ensure enough food for students.
Van Trong Luu, deputy director of the provincial Department of Education and Training's Ethnic Minority Division, said that the department was completing a list of beneficiaries this week to submit to the provincial People's Committee.
However, he said that they had become confused when implementing the Government's decision on the increased student allowance because until now, there had been no official instructions.
"The guiding circular was still on the table for discussion", he said, adding that a detailed mechanism for fund allocation was badly needed.
The province has nearly 15,300 students who will benefit from the policy.
VNS
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