Learning at Tri Le

Efforts to bring letters to remote villages

From Tri Le commune center, Que Phong district to Mong Muong Long village, we had to cross a unique road of nearly 30km, mostly clinging to the rugged, slippery, winding mountainside.

Road to Mong Muong Long village, Tri Le commune, Que Phong district. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

The house of the village chief Va Ba Mai is located right at the beginning of the village, next to the kindergarten. Seeing the visitors, the youngest son of the village chief, Va Ba Manh, a second grader, was engrossed in playing chess and shyly stood up to greet them. “Do you know how to play chess?” – “The Border Guards at the station (Muong Long Military and Civilian Station - PV) taught me how to play”. Having said that, the boy led us into the small kitchen where his parents were preparing dinner.

“Why is the village chief cooking so early today?” - “Cooking a little earlier so that we can go to the Border Guard’s literacy class tonight. If we don’t learn to read and write, we won’t be able to take the motorbike driving test”, Ms. Xong Y Da (village chief’s wife) replied to us in Mandarin.

Muong Long and Ba Mai village chiefs (third from left) talk with reporters and authorities. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

In a conversation by the flickering fire that seemed to dispel the freezing cold in the village perched on the mountainside, Village Chief Va Ba Mai said: The village has 135 households with 815 people who are Mong people, of which 73.3% are poor households. The majority of people's lives are still difficult, with many backward customs. However, the good news is that in recent years, the villagers have paid more attention to their children's education than before.

The whole village currently has 27 preschool children, 109 primary school children, 47 secondary school children, 27 high school children and 5 university students. Among them, the families of village and hamlet cadres always set an example of education for the villagers to follow. Typically, the family of Party Cell Secretary Tho Thong Ly has 2 children, Tho Ba Trinh and Tho Ba Zia, both of whom are in university. Village Chief Va Ba Mai has 3 children who are all in school...

In the past, Muong Long villagers believed that only boys could go to school to learn to read and write. Now, there are families who invest in sending their daughters to university, like Xong Y Hoa, who is currently a student at Vinh University. Many women in Muong Long who do not know how to read, write, or calculate are now determined to attend literacy classes opened by Tri Le Border Guard Station. "Many women have signed up to attend the literacy class. My wife also goes to the fields during the day and attends class regularly at night. If you don't believe me, I invite you to visit the class at Tri Le 4 Primary School tonight."

Mong women in Muong Long village brave the cold weather to go to school to learn. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

As promised, we arrived at Tri Le 4 Primary School in the evening. Despite the cold weather, at just after 7 pm we heard the voices of children and women carrying books and flashlights, going to class together.

Comrade Le Hoi Vien - Deputy Head of Tri Le Border Guard Station said: The class has 50 students, all of whom are Mong women from Muong Long village. According to the program, the course lasts 6 months, taught by 4 teachers including 2 officers of Tri Le Border Guard Station, Senior Lieutenant Xong Ba Rong and Lieutenant Xong Ba Khu of the Mass Mobilization Team and 2 young volunteers of the National Defense Economic Group 4, Ly Ba Tu and Ly Ba Xanh, who graduated from Vinh University. All 4 teachers are Mong people, knowledgeable about the customs, habits and language of the people, so it is convenient for them to teach.

Literacy eradication class organized by Tri Le Border Guard Station in Muong Long village. Photo: Dinh Tuyen - Khanh Ly

This is not the first time Tri Le Border Guard Station has opened a class to eradicate illiteracy or prevent re-illiteracy for Mong women in the highland villages. Previously, we had visited the illiteracy classes of green-uniformed teachers held in the evenings in Huoi Moi and Pha Khom villages.

It is seen that many Mong women, although having small children, still try to arrange housework, go to the fields during the day, and at night they are determined to go to class to learn to read and write. They go to school on time and work very hard, many of them do not miss a single class, their hands are only used to holding hoes and knives in the fields, patiently holding pens to write each stroke. Knowing how to read and write helps them to be more confident in communicating and integrating into the community, participating in social activities.

Young volunteer intellectuals of the National Defense Economic Group 4 teach Mong women how to write. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Ms. Ly Y Xai, Huoi Moi village - a certified student said: "Now that life has changed, we Mong women want to learn to read and write to progress and also to set an example for our children to study." According to the program, the courses usually last from 3-6 months, the curriculum includes two subjects: Math (105 periods) and Vietnamese (204 periods), to help women learn to read, write and do basic calculations.

The happiest thing is that thanks to going to school and knowing how to read and write, many Mong women have boldly risen up, actively participated in social activities and had the honor of joining the Party's ranks, such as Ms. Lau Y Ly in Na Nieng village, Ms. Ly Y Chu, Vu Y Lau in Huoi Moi village. Some women have even been elected as district People's Council delegates, such as teacher Lau Y Pay at Huoi Moi Kindergarten, Tri Le commune...

The Mong people in Tri Le commune have paid more attention to their children's education. Photo: Thanh Cuong

The whole political system got involved

This is an area with 98% ethnic minorities, of which Mong people account for about 36%, and a high poverty rate. The whole commune has 16 villages, of which 5 are Mong villages. Local leaders said that in the past, students would drop out of school after finishing primary and secondary school, concentrated in Mong girls around 13-14 years old, the rate of students going on to high school was low, less than 30%.

After each summer or Tet holiday, the Party Committee, authorities, teachers and Border Guards have to travel to remote villages to propagate and encourage students to go to school. Being aware that the limited level of education is a "barrier" to the socio-economic development, in recent years, not only paying attention to the work of eliminating illiteracy for women, but also with the help of the district and all levels, branches, the Party Committee and the government of Tri Le commune have paid much attention to the education of children in the area.

Mong people in Tri Le commune prepare to take their children to school. Photo courtesy of Thanh Cuong

The Resolution of the Commune Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term has set a target of striving for a universal primary and secondary education rate of 85-90%, and for kindergartens and secondary schools to meet national standards. On that basis, the Commune People's Committee has issued a project and schools in the area have concretized it with the school's education development strategy, focusing on mobilizing all resources to invest in building facilities for teaching and learning. Aiming to increase the rate of high school students to over 50%.

Secretary of the Tri Le Commune Party Committee Vi Van Du said: Currently, in the area, there is 1 kindergarten, 3 primary schools (Tri Le 1,2,4) and Tri Le Boarding Secondary School along with a few separate locations. Thanks to the active participation of the entire political system, the education sector currently has a high school student rate of over 50%, and universal secondary education is over 98%. The phenomenon of students dropping out of school is gradually decreasing, last year there were over 20 students dropping out of school, this year there are 10 students, including 4 Mong girls who dropped out of school to get married.

The education of Mong ethnic children in Tri Le commune, Que Phong district is of interest to the Party Committee, government, education sector and functional forces in the area. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Mr. Xong Ba Cha - Vice Chairman of Tri Le Commune People's Committee also said: In recent years, the Party Committee and the government have strengthened many measures to improve the quality of education and training. School facilities are increasingly improved. The coordination between schools, families and localities in mobilizing students to go to school at all levels has brought high efficiency.

In particular, in 2022, the kindergarten became a cultural unit and met national standards. The schools mobilized people to voluntarily contribute 456 million VND to repair facilities, upgrade works serving teaching and learning, and mobilized investment of 22.7 billion VND.

Tri Le 2 Primary School was built spaciously. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Typically, during the year, Tri Le 2 Primary School received support from TECCO Group with 19 boarding rooms for students, 6 cultural classrooms, 1 library and 1 dining hall on an area of ​​over 2,000m2. The project has a total investment capital of over 16.5 billion VND.

“Having a new, spacious, clean, beautiful and quality-assured school is the happiness and motivation for the school, teachers and students here to overcome difficulties. After the new investment, the school has created conditions for 135 Mong, Thai and Khmu ethnic students who enjoy boarding benefits in grades 3, 4 and 5 from satellite schools to study at the main school,” said Mr. Xong Ba Cha.

Teacher Lau Y Pay and students at Huoi Moi Kindergarten, Tri Le commune. Photo: Kha Tim

For a border area with many difficulties like Tri Le, to have positive changes in education, especially raising people's awareness about their children's education, we must acknowledge the efforts of the teaching staff, especially teachers stationed at schools in remote villages.

They have made efforts to overcome all the harsh weather, the arduous routes to school, as well as the backward customs of the people to sow knowledge for children in the highlands. A typical example is the example of overcoming difficulties, loving the profession, and loving children of Mong teacher Lau Y Pay at Huoi Moi Kindergarten - a village near the Vietnam - Laos border with more than 140 households / 824 people. There are 5 classrooms here, including 1 preschool and kindergarten class with 35 students.

Being a Mong person, understanding the customs and practices of the people, teacher Y Pay often takes advantage of the time when she is not in class to go to each house to chat so that people know the benefits of learning and the limitations of being illiterate. For 11 years as a teacher in the village, going to class at the beginning of the week and returning home on the weekend on a difficult, bumpy road, slippery in the rainy season, falling down countless times, but teacher Y Pay is still passionate about her job. For many years, Y Pay has been an excellent teacher at the school level, and she was also awarded a Certificate of Merit by Que Phong district as an exemplary teacher in the village. Or the inspirational story of teachers carrying letters to Mong children at Tri Le 4 Primary School. The school was established more than 40 years ago, in addition to the main point with 5 classes, 109 students located in Muong Long village, there are also 3 satellite points located in Huoi Xai, Nam Tot, Huoi Moi villages. The roads to each point are extremely difficult and arduous.

Tri Le 4 Primary School. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Teacher Xong Ba Thanh - who has taught at Tri Le 4 Primary School for 23 years said: The school has 31 teachers, of which 5 are from the lowlands, but the special thing is that 100% of the teachers are male, so people often jokingly call it "a school without teachers".

Because of the extremely difficult living conditions and dangerous roads, during the rainy season, it can take hours to get to school. Teachers have to divide into groups to help each other get over steep, slippery slopes, covered in mud, landslides, etc.

Road to Tri Le 4 Primary School. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Despite the difficulties and hardships, according to those who "carry letters up the mountain", the motivation that helps teachers in remote areas like them overcome difficulties and stick with school is the daily progress of students, the joy of contributing to improving the quality of education, bringing the light of knowledge to people in the highlands.

Teacher Xong Ba Thanh - who has taught at Tri Le 4 Primary School for 23 years - is happy with the daily progress of Mong children. Photo: Dinh Tuyen - Khanh Ly

“Previously, after Tet holiday, the school often had to coordinate with departments and agencies to encourage students to go to school, but for the past 2-3 years, I am very happy that on schedule, students voluntarily invite each other to go to school even though the villagers are still celebrating Tet…”, said teacher Xong Ba Thanh.