Literacy class in a mountainous district of Quang Ninh

Every weeknight, the literacy class for the ethnic minorities in Nam Son commune, Ba Che district, Quang Ninh province is lit up. This is a very special class because most of the students are grandmothers and mothers, and they all share the dream of learning to read and write to change their lives.

"The bee makes honey, loves flowers. The fish swims, loves water; the bird sings, loves the sky. If you want to live, my child, you must love your comrades, love your brothers...".

At nearly 9 p.m., when we arrived at Nam Son Primary and Secondary School (Nam Son Commune, Ba Che District, Quang Ninh Province), about 20 students were spelling out each word in a poem by poet To Huu.

Every weekday from 8-10pm, the special classroom at Nam Son Primary and Secondary School lights up. It is called a special classroom because it is an illiteracy eradication class, the students are mostly ethnic minorities, elderly, and busy with farming and farming during the day.

Literacy class for people in Nam Son commune, Ba Che district, Quang Ninh province. Photo: Bui My

At the age of 48, Ms. Phun Thi Cuu (living in Nam Ha Trong village, Nam Son commune, Ba Che district) has just started to get acquainted with each letter. Ms. Cuu said that in the past, to read messages or transfer money, she had to ask her children, but they could not always help. Therefore, when the locality opened a literacy class and mobilized people, she joined the class.

"I have almost finished a book, now I can read fluently and write! Now that I know many words, I feel much more comfortable, not dependent on others," said Ms. Phun Thi Cuu.

Ms. Phun Ung Mui (47 years old, living in Nam Ha Trong village, Nam Son commune, Ba Che district) said that in the past, due to difficult circumstances, she could not go to school and could not read or write. She had to rely on others for everything related to paperwork. Now that there is a literacy class, she tries to arrange her work every day to go to class.

"I come to class at the same time after work. If I come home early, I come to class early. Sometimes I come to class at around 7:30 pm. I just hope that I can read faster and write better...", Ms. Phun Ung Mui shared.

Students in the literacy class in Nam Son commune, Ba Che district, Quang Ninh province are all very eager to learn. Photo: Bui My

The literacy class at Nam Son Primary and Secondary School currently has about 20 people from Nam Ha Trong village, Nam Son commune, Ba Che district, Quang Ninh province attending. At first, many people were hesitant, partly because they were embarrassed because they were old, partly because they were afraid they would not be able to absorb the knowledge. For them, holding a pen and writing each stroke on a notebook seemed more difficult than holding a hoe or a knife. However, because of their dream of knowing how to read and write, they all tried to arrange their work to attend class regularly.

This is the second time that teacher Doan Thi Hien (Nam Son Primary and Secondary School) has taught literacy classes for people in Nam Son Commune, Ba Che District, Quang Ninh Province. Ms. Hien said that in 2021-2022, she taught literacy to students in Khe Sau Village, and this year she taught literacy to students in Nam Ha Trong Village. During the course, there will be two teachers participating in teaching support.

"The students who attend the literacy class are all older people, but they all want to learn to read and write. Therefore, the students are very diligent in coming to class, however, partly because they are older, partly because they still feel shy and not bold enough. Even though they still have trouble reading, they still have a little bit of a shaky handwriting,... but they all love to learn, are interested in the learning process, and try to attend the class fully. Only on days when it rains heavily do the students skip classes, some students even want to study on Sundays. Sometimes, when students come to class, they bring us corn, cassava, pineapple,...", Ms. Hien said.

Teachers guide students in the literacy class to read again and again to become more fluent. Photo: Bui My

According to Ms. Hoang Thi Oanh, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Ba Che district, in 2024, people will actively participate in literacy classes. For communes with low illiteracy rates, teachers will assign lessons and provide direct guidance; at the same time, they will coordinate with the Youth Union and children in the family to provide additional support at home.

The Head of the Department of Education and Training of Ba Che district added that, according to the general goal of Quang Ninh province, the district tries to minimize the number of illiterate people in the area. Therefore, in the past time, along with actively mobilizing people from 15 to 60 years old to participate in literacy classes and continuing education after literacy, the Department has directed schools to send competent and enthusiastic teachers to teach literacy classes in the evenings during the week.

In recent years, many localities in Quang Ninh province such as Ba Che, Hai Ha, Dam Ha, etc. have organized many literacy classes for people. Thanks to that, people can more easily access new information, improve their knowledge, escape poverty, develop the economy, and build a civilized life.

Up to now, Quang Ninh has achieved universal primary education level 3 and universal secondary education level 2. In addition, 100% of district-level units and 99.43% of commune-level units have achieved level 2 literacy standards, the number of people aged 15 to 60 who are literate at level 1 is 99.68%, and 99.25% are literate at level 2.

It can be seen that opening illiteracy eradication classes is of great significance, opening up opportunities for ethnic minorities here, contributing to improving the intellectual level of the people, sustainable poverty reduction; at the same time, creating favorable conditions for implementing the policies of the Party and the State to the people; people also better apply scientific and technical knowledge to livestock breeding and production, bringing high income.

Source: https://danviet.vn/lop-xoa-mu-chu-o-huyen-vung-cao-cua-quang-ninh-20241111172450277.htm