Sowing letters for the "elderly" in border areas

After hours of tirelessly teaching students at school, teachers in Sa Thay district, Kon Tum province, hurriedly eat and take the opportunity to teach Gia Rai and Ha Lang parents.

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Day teaching children, night teaching mothers

At 5:00 p.m., after finishing her last class, teacher Y Phien (27 years old, Ro Koi Primary School, Sa Thay District) hurriedly returned home to prepare dinner. Because in addition to her "children" at school, Ms. Phien also had a 2-year-old son at home waiting for his mother to return.

Ms. Y Phien returned home to take care of her children after finishing work at school.

Y Phien confided: "After graduating, I taught at schools in the border districts of Ia H'Drai, Dak Glei... nearly a hundred kilometers away from home. In 2022, I was transferred to my hometown to teach and get married. My wife and I currently have a son, my husband is in the army far from home, so I take care of all the family matters. Recently, I was assigned to teach literacy to the Ha Lang people in the locality, so I have been much busier."

After finishing her family chores, Ms. Phien continued to play the role of a teacher to teach the "students" who were the parents in the village at 7pm. During the day, Y Phien worked hard at school, and at night she hurried to class at the Kram village school. The time she spent with her son was only a few hours, when Y Phien returned home, her son was already fast asleep next to his grandmother. For her, being busy to spread the word was a happiness, and more meaningful was teaching the words to the uncles and aunts in the village.

"Since I was little, my parents and the uncles and aunts in the village have helped me to firmly pursue my education. I have always dreamed of becoming a teacher to teach the students in the village. Who would have thought that now I would be able to teach the uncles and aunts who helped me that year? It is an honor," Y Phien confided.

When he first received the assignment, Y Phien was both happy and worried. Y Phien was happy because he was also from Ha Lang, and had lived with the people since he was young, so he understood their personalities very well. Y Phien had the advantage of being able to communicate in two languages (Mandarin and Ha Lang), so he could easily convey and guide the people to understand the lesson. The worry that always haunted Phien was that because he did not have much experience, he would not be able to teach 30 students who were older than him, making the people disappointed.

Y Phien's worries are also the worries of Ms. Hoang Thi Lan (40 years old), a teacher at Nguyen Trai Primary and Secondary School, who is in charge of teaching literacy classes in Chot village (Sa Thay town, Sa Thay district). In 17 years of working, Ms. Lan has never felt discouraged in her teaching career, even though for the past 2 years she has been assigned to teach literacy classes to local parents at night.

Ms. Lan shared: "My husband and I have 2 children, my husband works as a teacher far away so he is rarely at home. Luckily, my children are grown up so I don't have to worry much. However, after a day of teaching at school, there are still many things to worry about at home, I have to try to arrange everything. To be able to teach Gia Rai parents, I have to have appropriate teaching methods, need to be close and gentle so that they are not self-conscious or inferior. Then I divide students into groups, groups that learn quickly, groups that learn slowly to make it easier to tutor and guide."

"This is the second year I have participated in teaching literacy to ethnic minorities. It is hard work, but in return, I am happy to see their calloused hands, used to holding hoes, writing round letters and reading each sentence clearly in books, something they could not do before," Ms. Lan said.

Not only Ms. Y Phien and Ms. Lan, in Sa Thay district, there are 577 teachers assigned to teach 26 literacy classes. Each class consists of 5 terms, lasting 8 months. The teachers participate on a volunteer basis, with a love for the profession in exchange for the "students" who are ethnic minority women and men.

Excited to write

After a busy day working in the fields, Mrs. Y Hyah (52 years old, Kram village, Ro Koi commune) returned home to cook for her children and then carried her grandchild to Ms. Y Phien's class. Mrs. Y Hyah was the class monitor so she often set an example by arriving early to clean up. Since the literacy class was opened in the village, Mrs. Y Hyah seemed to have a new joy in the evenings. Every night after school, she learned more letters and read more words printed on familiar objects and foods.

Ms. Y Hyah confided that after more than 2 months of being taught by Ms. Y Phien, I, as well as the other participants in the class, have basically learned how to write and read short phrases. Ms. Y Phien speaks Ha Lang, so the villagers really like her. Also helping her is Mr. A Thik (49 years old), who is also a villager. At the beginning of class, to help the villagers relieve stress, Ms. Y Phien often performs cultural activities, making the whole class burst into laughter.

Also a student of Ms. Y Phien, Ms. Y Hu is the oldest student in the class, 56 years old. Ms. Y Hu said: "Not knowing how to read and write is very difficult. When going to the doctor to buy medicine, I cannot read what kind of medicine it is. I can only remember the color, shape and then describe it. Or every time I sign a document, I can only roll my finger. Sometimes I feel embarrassed in front of my children and grandchildren and everyone around me."

"After 2 months of studying, I was able to write basic words and read many familiar phrases. I am more confident when going to the market, shopping, and calculating. Writing has changed my life a lot. I am very grateful to all levels and sectors for opening literacy classes to help elderly people like me have the opportunity to study for free," Ms. Y Hu confided.

At Ms. Hoang Thi Lan's literacy class in Chot village, there are many male students coming to study, even couples coming together to learn to read and write. For example, Mr. A Tua and Mrs. Y Mlyh (both 62 years old, Chot village) spent more than 60 farming seasons to realize their dream of learning to read and write.

Mr. A Tua shared that in the past, due to difficult family circumstances, he could not go to school. Later, when he grew up, got married, had children, and was busy, he could not go to school. Now, when he is old, his 3 children are grown up and have stable jobs, so my wife and I decided to go to school. Learning to read and write so that we will not regret it later, so that we can know how to buy and sell, do business, and apply technology to life. After more than 2 months of studying, he and his wife tried together, paying attention to the teacher's lectures and now can write, read basic things, and know how to calculate. He himself is also much more confident than before.

As for Mr. A Hap (34 years old, Chot village), it was the fear of not knowing how to read and write every time his child asked him that helped him put behind his self-consciousness and inferiority complex to come to class. Mr. A Hap confided that at first he did not intend to go to school because he was afraid of many things, but seeing that he was still young and the locality also created favorable conditions, he was determined to go to school to teach his young child. After more than 2 months of studying, he was able to write and read some words, which was the result of A Hap's own efforts and Ms. Lan's dedication.

According to statistics from the Department of Education and Training of Sa Thay district, in 2024, in Sa Thay district, there were 698 students registered for literacy classes, an increase of 218 students compared to 2023. All students were ethnic minorities, aged 25 - 62 years old.

Mr. Hoang Dinh Tuyen - Deputy Head of the Department of Education and Training of Sa Thay district said that in order for people to boldly participate in literacy classes, the Department of Education and Training of the district has directed schools to coordinate with local authorities to closely review and mobilize people to register for literacy classes; and to propagate the benefits of participating in literacy classes. When studying literacy, students will be supported with 500,000 VND/person upon completing the course, supported with learning tools, and most of all, will be taught by dedicated teachers to learn letters and learn how to calculate and apply them in life.

"For teachers, in addition to teaching regular classes at school, teaching extra classes in the evening is much harder. The Department and local leaders are very concerned, regularly checking, grasping the situation, and encouraging teachers and students to study hard to have a better, more civilized life," said Mr. Tuyen.

Realizing that illiteracy eradication is an important political task, in recent years, the People's Committee of Sa Thay district has promoted propaganda work to raise awareness and responsibility for all levels, sectors and people in eliminating illiteracy. From 2022 to present, the district has directed the opening of 46 illiteracy eradication classes for 1,229 ethnic minority students. Thereby, it has helped raise the rate of people aged 15-60 with level 2 literacy to nearly 98%.

Source: https://danviet.vn/gioo-chu-cho-nguoi-gia-vung-bien-20241117132526946.htm