Primary Students Enjoy Friendly-Library at Mountainous Area in Thanh Hoa

Written by Nguyen Thi Thanh Tu

For years, primary students at a mountainous district in northern Vietnam used to regard their school library as a dusty and quiet book warehouse. Their thought has been changed since they enjoyed a friendly library.

“Our friendly-library becomes my favourite discovery playing-field,” said the fifth-grader Nguyen Thi Van at Nhu Xuan district in Thanh Hoa Province. “Our school library didn’t have so many interesting books some years ago. From now on, I will visit the new library more often so I can read book and join activities with my schoolmates there.”

“I love to come to our friendly-library because I am able to decorate it with my own drawings,” Luong Thi Nga added. “And I can enjoy other paintings by my friends. We draw our dreams and hopes and then hang the pictures around the library so everyone can see.”

With World Vision’s support, the new library model has offered 1,300 reference books and children’s picture stories to more than 210 students at Yen Le primary school. All the books and stories are placed either at classrooms or school-yard so they’re mobile and ready for little readers.

Books are classified orderly with age-group and arranged with various corners for reading, artworks and practical activities. The library has created opportunities for students to enjoy reading, studying and organizing group activities.

Besides, the school children are interested in drawing pictures, discovering topics about their surroundings, competing in reading skills at the library. Such activities encourage the students to participate, share their own ideas and develop their team building skills, which make them more confident and active in developing their knowledge beyond books.

“Formerly, our school didn’t have such activities at library so students didn’t want to read books at library,” said Nguyen Thi Thu, who is an art teacher and in charge of library activities. “Since we set up the new model of the library and organised library activities, our students have actively joined in the activities.”

“I am really happy when I see our students enjoy reading, drawing pictures, participating in reading completion at the library. That is a great chance for our students to improve their knowledge,” shared Le Thi Quyen, a member of the Primary School Board in Nhu Xuan district.

“We hope that more schools will apply the new model so more needy students are able to widen their knowledge beyond reading. We are so thankful for such helpful support of World Vision,” she added.