vietexplorer0028

Quynh is an inspiring figure who embodies the belief that women can reshape their lives through perseverance and determination. Her academic journey serves as a testament to the power of lifelong learning. A Lifelong Learner’s Journey Quynh’s academic path began with a focus on literature at the prestigious High School for the Gifted, under the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM). Her intellectual prowess was recognized, and she subsequently gained admission to the highly competitive Computer Science faculty at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, affiliated with VNU-HCM. However, her passion for knowledge didn’t end there. Quynh went on to excel in the English department at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, graduating near the top of her class with an impressive IELTS score of 8.5/9. This showcases her dedication and talent in language acquisition. Quynh has a particular affinity for social sciences, yet she always emphasizes the importance...

In a remote district of Vietnam, a dedicated group of students from the Ba Na Mong ethnic minority gather each evening to embark on a unique educational journey. At 7:00 pm, a local parish priest’s voice echoes through a loudspeaker, signaling the start of their studies. These students, adults with a range of life experiences, bring with them a sense of determination and a desire to learn. Among them is HNai, 63, whose unwavering commitment to her writing practice serves as a testament to her belief in the importance of the process of learning itself. For HNai, and many others like her, this class represents more than just an opportunity to gain literacy skills. It is a chance to find joy in studying and to embrace a newfound sense of empowerment. Voi, a 50-year-old student, exemplifies this transformation. Through the class, he is gaining the skills to manage his family’s hectare of coffee trees more independently. No longer reliant on friends to write down fertilizer names, Voi em...

A group of students attend an online coding session at the Sapna Center, a training facility for marginalized women from rural India. [Rishabh Jain/Al Jazeera] On a sunny morning in Kandabari village, located in India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh, a classroom full of students is engrossed in a coding lesson. Among them is 19-year-old Kriti Kumari, one of 31 women enrolled at the Sapna Center. The center provides training for rural women from marginalized backgrounds, requiring them to reside on campus. The year-long program equips women with coding and website design skills, project management techniques, and primary-school-level math education for those aspiring to become teachers. The organization also assists individuals in securing jobs within India’s thriving information technology sector. “If it weren’t for the Sapna Center, I’d likely be married by now, tending to household duties,” revealed Kumari, a native of the central Indian state of Jharkhand, who ha...