The mist-parting man opened the 'door' of education for the Mong people of Nghe An

"Reason" and "emotion" to get children to school

In previous years, the difficult life has made education in Tri Le commune (Que Phong) less developed, especially in the Mong community with nearly 4,000 people living in 10 villages in the high mountains, including 8 villages near the border. The education of the Mong people in Tri Le commune has only really improved in the past 20 years. And according to the people, it is "thanks to the work of teacher Tho Ba Sinh" a lot.

Mr. Xong Ba Thai, Muong Long village, Tri Le commune shared: "Year after year, Mr. Sinh traveled all over Pha Ca Tun mountain range, going to each village and each house to persuade families to send their children to school."

The hard life of the Mong people in the fields has made children as young as 6-7 years old become the pillars of the family when they only stay at home. Children as young as 8-10 years old are the main laborers, following their parents to the fields every day. To persuade families to "give up" a main laborer and send their children to school is not a simple thing. To analyze for them to understand, it is necessary not only to have "reason" but also "feeling".

I use my own life to illustrate my "reason" and convince.

Teacher Tho Ba Sinh

Huoi Moi 1 Village, Tri Le Commune, Que Phong District

The life of teacher Tho Ba Sinh is summarized in one line: "constantly striving to become a better person." This 48-year-old Mong teacher was born and raised in Huoi Moi 1 village, Tri Le commune. Like many other Mong people, his family's life was tied to farming and hardship. Many children in the village had not yet grown up before following their parents to the mountains to make a living; before they had reached adulthood, they had already gotten married. He was luckier because he was able to go to school, but he had to be 10 years old to start first grade, studying at Huoi Moi school.

After 4 years of studying and graduating from primary school, Tho Ba Sinh had two choices: One was to drop out of school, stay home to work on the farm, then get married and start a family. The other was to continue to Kim Son town, Que Phong district to study secondary school. Choosing one was very easy. He himself did not want to live a poor life around the mountainside but wanted to study more, wanted to travel to know more and study to establish himself and make a career. Tho Ba Sinh was determined to go to the district capital to study 2 years of secondary school at the district Labor Secondary School.

At the age of 16, Tho Ba Sinh was the first Mong person in Tri Le to finish secondary school. His journey down the mountain was interrupted when he decided to return to his village. His studies were temporarily stopped when he had no one to guide him on how to continue. Returning to the mountain, the knowledge he had learned, heard and seen helped Tho Ba Sinh apply and develop his family's economy well. Returning to Huoi Moi 1, Tho Ba Sinh started a cow farm. At its peak, his farm had over 30 cows.

Tri Le is a southwestern border commune of Que Phong district, more than 30 km from the district center, with a border length of 17.5 km with 8 landmarks bordering Muong Quan district, Hua Phan province, Lao PDR.

Tri Le commune has 4 ethnic groups: Thai, Kinh, Mong, Kho Mu living with 10,233 people in 2,038 households; distributed in 33 hamlets, of which the hamlet with the largest number has 123 households and the hamlet with the least number has 24 households. With high, rugged mountainous terrain, high altitude throughout the area, divided by many rivers, streams, and creeks, people's lives here depend on agriculture, which is extremely difficult...

In 1990, Tho Ba Sinh had a chance when the State had a policy of calling on ethnic minorities who had completed secondary school to become teachers. Tho Ba Sinh went to the district to study teaching methods quickly, then returned to work as a teacher at Nam Tot school, then Huoi Moi school, Tri Le 4 Primary School.

With a burning desire to learn and excel in his teaching duties, teacher Tho Ba Sinh has been given opportunities by all levels and sectors to attend advanced courses. From 1995 to present, teacher Sinh has completed high school and graduated from university. In 2002, teacher Sinh was appointed as Vice Principal of Tri Le 4 Primary School.

Teacher Tho Ba Sinh - Vice Principal of Tri Le 4 Primary School always promotes self-study.

Through the life of teacher Tho Ba Sinh, the Mong people in Tri Le realized that: He is the most vivid and authentic witness of the Mong people who dare to overcome all barriers to seek education, to have a more prosperous life. And the Mong people in Tri Le looked at the example of teacher Sinh to learn, to change.

Hope Mong children go further

Teacher Tho Ba Sinh said that in the years 1990-2002, the campaign to encourage Mong children in Tri Le to go to school was not only him but also a number of other Mong teachers. Each teacher is a living proof of learning, so during this time, people were determined to send their children down the mountain to school...

However, there is still sadness when in recent years there are still cases of children dropping out of school due to family circumstances. At times like that, young teachers in the school climb the mountain every night to campaign.

Among the young teachers at Tri Le 4 Primary School is teacher Tho Ba Cho. He is the second son of teacher Tho Ba Sinh. Telling the story of mobilizing children to go to school, teacher Tho Ba Cho said: “Nowadays it is the same as in the past. To mobilize, teachers must be truly dedicated. And each teacher himself is a living witness for Mong parents and students to see and learn from.”

It is known that teacher Tho Ba Sinh has 5 children (4 boys, 1 girl). With careful care and upbringing, all 5 of them have finished high school. The eldest son, Tho Ba Chu, is currently a police officer in Que Phong district. The second son, Tho Ba Cho, is currently a "colleague" with his father at Tri Le 4 Primary School. The third son, Tho Ba Chia, has just graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from Vinh University and is currently working on a farm at home. The fourth daughter is now married and living in Dien Bien province. The youngest son, Tho Tong Gio, has just graduated from high school...

The story of the education of teacher Sinh's family once again helped change the perception of the people in the Mong villages: Going to school will help you go further. Studying well can help you become a cadre. If you don't become a government employee, it will also give you a lot of knowledge to raise livestock, plant trees, plant forests; and trade and trade more easily. The Mong people in Tri Le now consider that children going down the mountain to study at secondary and high school is to establish themselves, to make a career, to have new knowledge to develop their lives and build their villages.

In the eyes of many Mong people in Tri Le, teacher Tho Ba Sinh is a typical example of “success” thanks to his efforts in studying and self-studying. At the age of nearly 50, teacher Sinh is still researching books and newspapers. This Mong teacher is always strict with himself and teaches his children and grandchildren: “Living is not difficult, getting rich is not difficult. But living in the right direction is difficult. Direction here is the Party’s policies and guidelines, the State’s policies and laws; it is morality, it is love between people.”

As the vice principal of the primary school, Mr. Sinh has always been the “pioneer” in the movement to get Mong children to go to school. The elderly and the children have become familiar with the image of the skinny teacher leading the bicycle through the slippery slopes on rainy days, with thick, gray clouds and white fog covering the hills and villages.

“If you don’t have the conditions or pass the college or university entrance exam right away, you can learn step by step. The important thing about learning is to gain knowledge, not just a degree. Only by learning can you go further and higher,” teacher Tho Ba Sinh confided, and he always dreamed of helping the Mong children in his hometown go further than he had gone, and know more than he knew.

In the past 2-3 years, the socialization of education and the promotion of learning in Tri Le have received more attention. The number of students admitted to universities, colleges, and excellent students of the province and district is higher year after year, the quality of teaching and learning is increasingly improved, and the facilities for teaching and learning basically meet the requirements...

In that common success, there is the contribution of Mr. Sinh and Mr. Cho. "The story of Mr. Sinh and Mr. Cho is a "legend" in everyday life, which has the effect of motivating and encouraging learning in this mountainous district of Que Phong" - Mr. Lu Thanh Ha, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Que Phong district said.

Border Guard Lieutenant Colonel Dam Thien Thuong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Tri Le Commune Party Committee affirmed: "Teacher Tho Ba Sinh is an exemplary party member, a prestigious "village elder" of the Mong people in the locality. Thanks to him, the learning movement in the locality is increasingly developing."