Feb 7, 2012

Vietnam - Gratis language classes at city pagoda



“I find it very effective to study at this pagoda as the teachers are so enthusiastic even though the classes are free of charge,” said Kim Anh, a Ho Chi Minh City college student, after five months of learning foreign languages at La (Leave) Pagoda, located in Go Vap District.

She is among 600 frequent learners, including young Vietnamese people and poor students, who have come to this pagoda for complimentary foreign language courses throughout the last two years.

A Tien Phong newspaper correspondent visited this ‘school’ on a recent Saturday morning and was really impressed, and entertained, by the learning environment there: teachers and students were passionately engaging in the lessons in an exciting atmosphere, unlike the intense and noisy vibes at other language centers in the city.

La abbot Thich Nhuan Tam said that he founded these classes back in 2010, which at first taught English, Chinese, and Japanese. French and German have been recently added to the curriculum to meet learners’ growing demand, he added.

“The teachers, who are expatriates or kind and competent Vietnamese people working at local colleges, research institutes, and cultural centers, are either teaching for free or asking for little pay.”

The monk said he has so far resorted to offertories and money obtained from selling feng shui stones to fund the classes, of which there are 17 in total, open from 7:30 to 21:00 every day.

“As hard as it is to maintain the classes, I feel truly happy and relieved seeing the learners listen attentively to their teachers and wholeheartedly participate in their lessons every time I visit them,” Tam said.

The pagoda is going on with the construction of two new well-equipped classrooms thanks to individual donations, the abbot told the newspaper.

It is now heading towards future cooperation with the city Department of Education and Training to confer official certificates on the learners.

TUOITRENEWS



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