A pagoda in Quang Tri Province, north-central Vietnam has hosted classes during summer at no charge for students of grades one to nine over the past 20 years.

Every morning during summer, Lap Thach Pagoda in Dong Ha City, Quang Tri Province is full of laughter from the students.

Summer classes there are administered by volunteer teachers.

Since early June, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Diep, a fifth grader of Le Hong Phong Middle School, has attended a class at Lap Thach Pagoda.

Her class consists of more than 20 students from different schools. 

“I have learned a lot of new knowledge. My classmates are friendly and nice. 

“I have made many new friends and love joining this class,” Diep said.

Teachers help students review knowledge and provide them with positive energy. Photo: Hoang Tao / Tuoi Tre

Duong Thi Hoai Phuong, a teacher of English at Nguyen Ba Ngoc Middle School, shared that she had worked as a volunteer teacher at the pagoda for two years.

Summer is often the time for teachers to have leisure or open classes to earn money. However, teachers like Phuong voluntarily teach these classes.

They join with an aim of helping students review knowledge during summer, Phuong said.

Venerable Thich Dao Tri, the abbot of Lap Thach Pagoda, said that he used to be a pedagogic student and practice teaching at a high school. After he came to Lap Thach Pagoda where a summer class was available for Buddhist children, he has opened more summer classes.

This summer, the pagoda welcomed 244 students from grades one to nine. Classes are held every morning. Of which, a grade-six class has the most students while a grade-one class has the least students. 

Many students live in the mountainous districts of Dakrong and Huong Hoa, which are some 90 kilometers from the pagoda, so they stay at the pagoda during summer.

The classes have been maintained over the past 20 years. Photo: Hoang Tao / Tuoi Tre

Fifty students are staying in the pagoda this summer, so expenditures are huge, but the pagoda does not receive any contributions from their parents, the abbot noted.

The pagoda has 25 volunteer teachers with some of them having done the charity work for up to seven years. Some teachers live 40-50 kilometers from the pagoda.

These classes mainly aim to help students review knowledge, the abbot said, adding that in the pagoda environment, with the compassion of teachers, students can get loving energy.

In addition to knowledge, teachers and the pagoda have tried to improve students’ sense of morality. 

The classes will be opened provided that the pagoda receives the support from teachers, Venerable Thich Dao Tri said.

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