Part 1: regret is not late

The provincial Center for Education-Job Placement in Phu Giao district annually receives hundreds of learners who are drug abusers and prostitutes. Of these, there are misguided people with previous convictions and offences. However, they are patient to make a new start.

Hope to make a fresh start

Many learners in the center express their desire of making a new start. Learner Ha Quoc Khanh, 32, in Phu Giao district said that he has entered this center for 2 times and now he regrets really. When asked about re-addiction of narcotics after the rehabilitation in 2012, he pledged to make a new start.

 

Learner Quoc Khanh (right) and learner Tien Dinh (third from right) at the provincial Center for Education-Job Placement.

Learner Vo Tien Dinh, 33, in Thuan An district, said ‘I was incited to use narcotics by friends. And now, I realize that I wasted my life’. In the past time, Dinh enjoyed a happy family with a stable income from carpentry. However, he lost all after drug addiction. Now, he determines to make a fresh start after completion of rehabilitation.    

Most of the learners desire to make a new start. Living in the center, they realize themselves and enjoy care from the center teachers.

Helping learners make a new start

Pham Van Tuyen, director of the center, said the center now has over 500 learners under treatment and re-education. Most of them are drug abusers. After receiving learners, the center will categorize them and implement measures to cut their addiction. After that, they will be trained employment, and knowledge. To help learners escape drug addiction, the center teachers make greater efforts to bring them back to the community.

The number of learners at the center jumps 360 compared to 200 in 2001. Most of them related to previous convictions and offences. Therefore, it is difficult for teachers to educate them.

Many teachers at this center witness detoxication of thousands of learners. Some learners never come back this center after detoxication but some others often get in and get out this center.

Nguyen Tan Phuoc, vice director of the center, revealed ‘many learners come in this center for 3 times with reputation of previous convictions and offences but living herein they are helped to reintegrate into the community.

Sympathy and assistance from the community will be an important factor to help them escape drug addiction, the center director added.

Reported by H.Van – Translated by A.C