In the village, no one has had a third child in 15 years.
When mentioning achievements in the field of population and family planning, population officials in Quy Chau often proudly "show off" that their district has two villages, Luong village (Chau Binh commune) and Ban village (Chau Thang commune), that have reached an admirable milestone for a difficult mountainous district: 15 consecutive years without anyone having a third child.
(Baonghean)When mentioning achievements in the field of population and family planning, population officials in Quy Chau often proudly "show off" that their district has two villages, Luong village (Chau Binh commune) and Ban village (Chau Thang commune), that have reached an admirable milestone for a difficult mountainous district: 15 consecutive years without anyone having a third child.
Ban Ban (Chau Thang commune), located about 10 km southwest of Quy Chau district center and right at the foot of Bu Bai slope, is proudly visited by its head, Luong Van Duyen. He says: "The village has 69 households and 308 inhabitants, but it is a village with a long tradition and is quite strong within Chau Thang district."
Distributing leaflets promoting population control and family planning in Quy Chau district. Photo: Thu Huong.
As a village specializing in rice cultivation, with 100% of its population being ethnic Thai, the community is relatively homogeneous, making the campaign to promote family planning relatively easy. Based on accurate data on the number of couples of childbearing age, especially those with only one child, the village committee and population collaborators regularly meet with them to educate and persuade them that having many children not only creates difficulties in life but also significantly impacts their children's education. Therefore, after the campaign, the village organizes for families of childbearing age to sign commitments, fully complying with regulations.
The outstanding achievements would not have been possible without the efforts of Ms. Luong Thi Xanh, who has over 20 years of experience as a community population collaborator (Ms. Xanh received a commendation from the Department of Health for this achievement). Based on her experience in mobilizing families in the village, Ms. Luong Thi Xanh believes that to successfully persuade others, one must first encourage their own children and grandchildren to comply. In implementing population policies, the exemplary role of cadres and Party members is crucial; even after signing commitments, if cadres violate these commitments, it will be impossible to convince the people and maintain the movement.
In Luong village, Chau Binh commune, Ms. Sam Thi Xuan, the village secretary, said: "As a purely agricultural village, 98% of the population are Thai ethnic people. In 1998, the village had 117 households, including 126 couples of childbearing age, and 11 couples who had children of only one gender (9 couples had only daughters). Compared to lowland areas, the village has the advantage that the Thai people do not place much emphasis on the concept of having sons or daughters. To maintain the achievement of nearly 15 consecutive years without anyone having a third child, the involvement and mobilization of the Party committee and the government are very important. Along with propaganda and mobilization, the local government has also decisively and clearly set out regulations: any village with someone having a third child will not be considered for emulation achievements; households having a third child, in addition to being fined from 1.7 million to 2 million VND per case according to the Resolution of the Commune People's Council, will not be eligible for emulation titles and will not receive some other support benefits."
Mr. Luong Van Sam, Director of the Population Center of Quy Chau District, said: "With nearly 15 consecutive years without anyone having a third child, Ban and Luong villages are truly exemplary models in complying with population policies and laws in Quy Chau. However, a concern for population officials is the low allowance for specialized population officials and population collaborators at the commune level. Although the regulations stipulate an allowance of 0.1 times the minimum wage (equivalent to 105,000 VND/month), in reality, only 50,000 VND/month is paid at the grassroots level. To promptly encourage the team of population officials at the grassroots level and thereby expand the number of villages without third children, we request that relevant departments and levels pay attention to resolving difficulties and ensure timely and accurate payment in accordance with Decision No. 76/2012 of the Provincial People's Committee."
Nguyen Hai
