Literacy classes in mountainous areas

(Baonghean) - In June, when students begin their summer vacation, literacy classes enter their peak period, increasing the number of hours and sessions. From these classes, thousands more people become literate each year, making a significant contribution to raising the general level of education...

This year, teacher Hoang Thi Loan turned 51. Although she belongs to the older generation, she was still very happy to be assigned by the school board of Binh Son Primary School (Anh Son) to teach literacy classes for the people of Giap Gat village. Since receiving this decision, she has also spent more time reading materials on literacy because she understands that her students are not six or seven-year-old children, but older people, even grandparents. She had to learn the Thai and Thanh languages ​​of the villagers to make her lessons more effective. It was hard work, but in over twenty-five years of teaching, these were the most memorable experiences for her. And for the first time, she felt the meaning of literacy work, felt the joy of the villagers when they learned to read and write...

Literacy class in Giap Gat village, Binh Son commune, Anh Son district.

Giap Gat village is located in the most remote part of Binh Son commune, bordered on one side by Tho Son commune and on the other by Tan Ky district. Although the distance from the Chanh intersection to the commune is not far, only about 20 km, we struggled to reach the center because Highway 7B is under construction, with many sections still unfinished. Teacher Nguyen Dinh Dong, the principal of Binh Son Primary School, shared: "Life for the people of Binh Son commune has been less difficult and arduous in recent years, after the bridge was built across the Con River. Before that, partly due to difficult roads and partly due to the need to cross rivers and streams, people in the remote villages couldn't go to school. Coming to Giap Gat, we understood more clearly the hardships and difficulties of the people here. Not only the Thai and Thanh ethnic minority people, but also many people originally from Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan who came here to start a new life in the late 1960s, there are dozens of illiterate people." Ms. Ho Thi Sinh (47 years old) is one of them. She said that when she first came here to work, because of poverty, she only knew how to work hard, barely having enough to eat, let alone learn to read and write. Because of such hardship, not only she and her husband, but also her two children (one born in 1993, the other in 1994) are illiterate. Ms. Lo Thi Niem, 66 years old, an elderly member of the class, shared: "Not knowing how to read and write is very difficult and disadvantageous. Participating in the class, learning to read and write, has broadened my horizons. The simplest thing is, when going to the hospital, I can read the signs and know the way..." Since the literacy class opened in Giap Gat village, Vice Chairman Ho Van Than of Binh Son commune visits the class every 2-3 days to encourage the members to try to learn to read and write. The commune has also allocated funds to buy books, notebooks, and pens to support the women. Speaking about the significance of the literacy program, the Vice Chairman of Binh Son commune said: "Binh Son is focusing on developing the hill and garden economy." Although there are many programs aimed at supporting the application of science and technology in production for the people, the effectiveness of these programs is not high due to the large illiteracy rate. Furthermore, because they are illiterate, people can only use fingerprints when signing documents at the commune office, which is very inconvenient. They also find it difficult to borrow capital from banks for economic development…

Literacy eradication is one of the solutions to raise the intellectual level of the population and help people acquire knowledge and professional skills. Although this is extremely necessary, literacy eradication efforts in our province still face many difficulties, especially in the area of ​​public awareness campaigns. In Con Cuong district, Ms. Dang Thi Mai, a specialist in the education department who has been monitoring literacy eradication for many years, shared: "To teach literacy to the people, teachers never shy away from difficulties or hardships. The only worry is not being able to persuade people to attend. Perhaps that's why the Con Cuong District Education Department considers it a success if they manage to open 2-3 literacy classes each year. Moreover, as long as there are classes, teachers are ready to teach regardless of whether students request them in the morning, noon, or evening, without hesitation. When we visited Luc Da, we saw that the literacy class in Moi village started at 12 noon. On days when the villagers were busy working in the fields or gathering bamboo shoots in the forest, the class was moved to the evening." Speaking to reporters, teacher Le Thi Nam from Luc Da 2 Primary School said: "The students in the literacy class are quite old, making it difficult for them to recognize the alphabet. To help them learn quickly, teachers have to combine new technology programs with regular games and ask questions related to real life... Besides that, the efforts have mainly focused on female students. Male students, for the most part, are not enthusiastic about attending class due to feelings of inferiority. Fortunately, despite their limited understanding, once they start attending, they study very diligently and strive to complete the literacy program."

According to statistics from the Department of Education and Training, approximately 4% of ethnic minority people aged 15-60 in our province are still illiterate. This group faces difficulties in maintaining and organizing literacy classes, partly due to customs and traditions, partly because they are scattered and lack the need to learn to read and write or update their knowledge after becoming literate. To address this situation, the Department of Education and Training annually directs its units to survey and compile statistics on the number of illiterate and re-illiterate people within this age range. Based on this, plans are developed and targets are set for opening literacy classes and continuing education after literacy is achieved, aiming to reduce the number of illiterate and re-illiterate people in this age group, and to improve the standards of primary education and literacy in the province, especially focusing on mountainous, highland, and ethnic minority areas. Locally, steering committees at all levels have effectively utilized the role of social organizations such as the Fatherland Front, youth unions, women's associations, farmers' associations, veterans' associations, education promotion associations, border guards, village elders, and community leaders to encourage children of school age to attend school and maintain enrollment in literacy classes. In addition, these organizations have integrated programs and projects to invest in and support disadvantaged groups, helping learners overcome poverty and improve their quality of life. Furthermore, through various forms of propaganda on mass media, they have emphasized the importance of literacy for the development of individuals, families, and communities; linking literacy campaigns with the building of a learning society and local emulation movements. The province has also paid attention to creating conditions to support learners with books and stationery; and has policies to support those who encourage literacy and teachers in the classes. Thanks to this, in 2015 alone, the entire province opened 106 literacy classes for more than 2,300 students in the districts of Tuong Duong, Ky Son, Con Cuong, Anh Son, Tan Ky, and Quy Chau. In addition, many advanced classes for students were also opened to help them improve their skills. Evaluating the current literacy work, Mr. Nguyen Huy Cao - Deputy Head of the Continuing Education Department, Department of Education and Training, shared that: "These literacy classes have great humanitarian significance. Literacy has helped women become more confident in life, actively participate in social activities, and facilitated local efforts in disseminating the Party and State's policies and guidelines..."

My Ha