Books enrich lives of reform school students

Young people in reform schools in Vietnam as a result of being in trouble with the law are being given open access to books, newspapers and magazines.

Seventy-eight bookshelves were installed in the cells of the four national reform schools in Vietnam last summer as part of a Plan project.

The schools at first insisted that the shelves should be locked, and only opened at particular times with the supervision of teachers but, with a strong belief in child empowerment, Plan staff persuaded them to provide the young people with free access to the reading material.

Thao, 18 years old, has been in Reform School 5 in Long An province for 19 months. Following her parents' divorce when she was three, Thao was raised by her grandparents.

She dropped out of school at Grade 7 when they could no longer afford the tuition fee and subsequently she became a drug dealer along with her aunt. Caught by the police, Thao was sent to Reform School 5 to serve her 24-month punishment.

Thao, like her 4000 peers in reform schools, spends every morning attending academic classes and her afternoons doing work such as peeling cashew nuts, weaving mats or growing vegetables. They spend the rest of the day in locked cells.

Thao shares her cell with 17 other girls, aged from 13 to 18 years old. Her cell is about 80 square metres. Each has a mat to sleep on and a small private suitcase containing clothes and some personal items. They are allowed to watch television for a short time each day.

Thao and her cellmates often have nothing to do. Since a bookshelf was installed, she has found life less boring. "Before, I did not want to go back to the cell. Things have changed since we have had this bookshelf. I didn't know that reading books could bring us so much fun like that," Thao said.

Installing the bookshelves in Reform Schools is part of an initiative to enhance positive education and entertainment for children in Vietnam who are in conflict with the law. The activity also aims to create a positive learning environment in all reform schools. Students manage the bookshelves themselves and select new books from a long list provided.

"Books help me to think positively about the time we are here and about life. We talk about stories in the books all day. We do not have time to quarrel with each other any more. The bookshelf connects us together", says Thao.