The mark of the army of 860 teachers spreading knowledge in the Northwest

The Birth of a Special Movement

On August 15, 1959, the Prime Minister issued Circular 3116-A7 to mobilize teachers of all levels from the lowlands to the mountains. 860 teachers from the plains, midlands of the North and Thanh Hoa gathered to study for a month before leaving. Uncle Ho directly instructed this class of teachers: “Cadres and teachers must also progress to keep up with the times… Do not be self-sufficient or complacent… We must strive to study to reform ourselves, reform our thoughts, reform our children and help reform society”.

On September 27, 1959, they set off in high spirits, carrying cotton coats, blankets, mosquito nets, and mats. Dividing into the provinces of the Thai-Meo Autonomous Region, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai , and Viet Bac, they entered the "sacred and poisonous water" region with the determination to eradicate illiteracy, destroy opium smoking, and fight against bad customs.

Old Lai Chau (now Lai Chau and Dien Bien ) alone welcomed more than 500 teachers. Teacher Nguyen Thien Thuat (born in 1939) said that at that time, people were so poor that they "went to school shirtless and sat on the ground". But everyone was eager to learn. "If there were no classrooms, we would build classrooms with the people, if there were no schools, we would build schools together, as long as people could learn to read and write", he said.

The first graders at that time were not only children but also young men of 12, 15, even 18 years old. For Mr. Thuat, the deep impression was that there were students older than him, but still respected and called him “teacher”. “If I did not respect them, did not integrate into their lives, I would not be able to keep the class,” he confided.

The footsteps of sowing letters and remaining affection

The 1959 movement gathered brave teachers with a great love for their profession: teacher Dinh Van Dong carried letters up Muong Mo slope to Bum Nua Muong Te, teacher Nguyen Van Bon went to Mu Ca, teacher Niem volunteered to go to Pa U, teacher Nha taught on Pu Nhung peak... They built schools with their own hands, encouraged people to abandon bad customs, and taught them how to cultivate and raise animals to improve their lives.

Among them, Mr. Thuat stands out with his initiative to “eliminate lisping” for Thai students by hanging mo lang boards with easily confused words around the classroom. Thanks to this method, for 4 consecutive years, 100% of his students have passed the next grade. The Department of Education continuously sends him to new schools to teach them the teaching method.

Mr. Nguyen Thien Thuat always remembers the advice of General Vo Nguyen Giap: "In ethnic minority areas, we must take ethnicity as the root for development and national unity."

He said that for many years living with the people, the teacher and his students ate sticky rice by the stream, using bamboo tubes instead of bowls. There were Tet seasons when the trade sold a little pork skin, the teachers bought it to make pork rolls with the skin – jokingly calling it “specialized skin standard”. “It was hard but fun, because the joy of the people was our joy”, he laughed.

He also did not forget the time General Vo Nguyen Giap reminded when he learned that the school's art troupe only selected Kinh students: "In ethnic minority areas, we must bring them into common activities and integration...". From then on, he kept in mind: "In ethnic minority areas, we must take ethnicity as the root for development and national unity."

Many teachers of the 1959 movement, like Mr. Thuat, have spent their whole lives in the Northwest. “There was a time when the province wanted to transfer me to the Department of Education, but the district kept me because I was fluent in the ethnic language and knew the area well. So I stayed for another 10 years, and finally got married here. The fate that tied me to this land was too great,” he confided.

From the initial foundation to today's results

After more than six decades, Dien Bien education has changed profoundly. From a land where more than 99% of the population was illiterate, the whole province now has nearly 500 schools, more than 200,000 pupils and students; more than 16,000 cadres and teachers; hundreds of schools meeting national standards. The system of boarding and semi-boarding schools for ethnic minorities is widespread, contributing to improving people's knowledge and training cadres for communes and districts, especially in remote areas.

The achievements in moral education, law, life skills, training of national excellent students... are the results inherited from the generation of teachers who opened the school in 1959. They have followed Uncle Ho's instructions: "Teachers must be exemplary, train good citizens, good cadres...".

Mr. Thuat, at the age of 85, still maintains the habit of reading 700-1,200 pages of books every day. He said that it is a way to nurture intelligence and memory, and also a way to extend the spirit of lifelong learning that the generation of teachers in 1959 entrusted to the highlands. “We did not think we were doing anything great. At that time, we only knew how to devote ourselves to our students. Looking back now, I feel happy because I have contributed a small part to the journey of changing this land,” he said.

Looking back, the movement of 860 teachers from the lowlands to the Northwest in 1959 was a milestone in Vietnamese education. From the initial foundation, the Northwest today has a complete education system, ready for integration. The affection of the "sowers of knowledge" to the highlands will forever be remembered as an indispensable part of the history of education.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/dau-an-doan-quan-860-giao-vien-gioo-chu-o-tay-bac-post743444.html