Cultivating Careers

Monday, May 19, 2014

Written by: Nguyen Thanh Nhu Tu – Nhu Xuan ADP

“Spring was fun this year,” said the little vegetable. “And all of us veggies have grown well in the school garden because the pupils take good care of us every day.”

The little vegetable is the star of a story written by a young gardener to describe how he and his classmates learn about nature and how to farm at their school.

World Vision helped to create the vegetable garden for the students of a middle school – which is set among the highlands of Nhu Xuan district in Thanh Hoa province – at the start of this year’s spring term and 140 of them have since enjoyed learning practical skills that may benefit them in later life.

With their teachers’ support, the students designed the garden and selected seedlings to plant based on their lessons, the local climate and their familiarity with growing crops. The practical experiences of gardening offer the youngsters the chance to enrich their knowledge of biology as well as their team-working and writing skills.

“The hands-on activity helps the students to love nature, learn the value of labour and its results, develop an understanding of cultivation and be healthy,” commented Ms Hien, who is the teacher responsible for the programme.

“We also get the students involved in other small-scale vocational projects, which have led to successful options for many youngsters instead of higher education or leaving home in search of work in the cities,” Ms Hien added.

“I look forward to going to school every day so I can take care of our vegetables with my friends,” said sixth-grader Huyen. “Our teacher helps us prepare the soil, use the fertilisers and monitor how the plants are growing.”

“It’s exciting to see the plants getting bigger every day and my friends and I know more about nature too,” she continued.

 A slightly older pupil, Anh, described how the boys in her class had reduced the time they spent playing computer games since they had started gardening at school. “They’re really keen to water the vegetables because they want our ones to be the biggest and greenest in the garden,” she said.

According to the school’s principal, Mr Lai, all of his teachers and pupils have participated enthusiastically in the activity on a daily basis. “The classes learn a lot about planting techniques and the uses of medicinal herbs, so we’re committed to continuing the garden and introducing other varieties of plants,” he confirmed.

This year, World Vision’s Nhu Xuan Area Development Programme has worked with the local Department of Education and Training to support career-oriented activities, such as gardening and animal husbandry, for 220 students in four middle schools in Nhu Xuan district.