Teachers and pupils are facing various difficulties to eliminate illiteracy in the remote area of Nghe An Province.

Pa Khom Primary School in Pa Khom Village is two kilometres from the main road but in order to reach it, travellers must get pass a narrow path along a steep cliff. Located 1,000m above the sea level, the school is always covered in fog, making it harder to see the road.

Pa Khom has five classrooms with 75 pupils. Both teachers and pupils face with many challenges and dangerous path to school is only one of them.

The classrooms, that already look flimsy, are deteriorating. Even though parents and local authorities have tried to patch up the school, the wooden walls keep falling apart.

Chairman of Tri Le Commune Vi Van Cuong said, "We’re working together to repair the school every year but because of limited funding, there's not much we can do."

Water leaks through the roof whenever it rains.

"At that times, pupils and teachers often go to the staff room, whose roof is covered. We light a fire and everyone sits around it to study," said teacher Nguyen Van Tinh.

Another hardship they have to face is lack of clean water. Asides from teaching responsibilities, the teachers must also go to every household to persuade the children to go to school.

Many people have expressed worry about the safety of the pupils and teachers as Nghe An is prone to hail and cyclones.

The road to Pa Khom Primary School

Dilapidated classroom