Preserving the essence of the ethnic group through standardizing and teaching the Katu language.

The development of a general education program for the Katu language is a strategic step to concretize the Party and State's policy on preserving ethnic cultural identity. Given the current situation of low literacy rates in the ethnic script and fragmentation in the writing system, standardizing a unified script and introducing it into schools is an urgent task to preserve the heritage of the Truong Son region.

Báo Sài Gòn Giải phóng•24/05/2026

Dr. Thai Van Tai, Director of the Department of General Education - Ministry of Education and Training, delivered a speech at the conference.

Katu language: Different styles from place to place!

The Co Tu ethnic group currently numbers over 74,000 people, residing primarily along the Truong Son mountain range in the Tay Giang, Nam Giang, and Dong Giang areas of Da Nang City, and the Nam Dong and A Luoi areas of Hue City. According to field surveys, the Co Tu language is remarkably vibrant in its spoken form, with 100% of the population still using their mother tongue as their primary means of expression. However, a paradox exists: the ability to use the ethnic script within the community is very low, with only 42% of the population literate and 38.7% literate.

Mr. Bh'riu Liếc, former Secretary of the Tay Giang District Party Committee (formerly Quang Nam province), made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Co Tu language.

In the cultural heartland of the Co Tu ethnic group in Quang Nam, Mr. Bh'riu Liec, former Secretary of the Tay Giang District Party Committee (formerly Quang Nam), shared profound insights into the ups and downs of the ethnic group's writing system. He noted that the Co Tu script (often called the Revolutionary script) has a glorious history dating back to 1956, closely linked to efforts to expand knowledge and guide the people to follow the Party during the resistance war. However, after 1975, this writing system gradually fell into disuse due to schools implementing the national curriculum. In 1986, despite pilot efforts to teach the Co Tu script, these attempts were unsuccessful, leading to its long period of disappearance. In recent years, many places have resumed teaching the traditional script, but due to a lack of uniformity, varying methods across different locations, and limited access to modern information technology, preservation efforts remain challenging and difficult.

Professor Nguyen Van Hiep, former Director of the Institute of Linguistics, speaks about the "bottleneck" of the Co Tu script.

Sharing the same viewpoint on these "bottlenecks," Professor Nguyen Van Hiep, former Director of the Institute of Linguistics, pointed out that the security of spoken language does not equate to the security of the language itself if there is no unified written script. The underlying reason for the limitations in literacy is the parallel existence, and even competition, between two different writing systems in Da Nang and Hue. The writing system in Hue, developed by the Institute of Linguistics, has the advantage of scientific rigor in phonological theory, while the writing system in Quang Nam carries the strength of national sentiment and is linked to historical traditions.

Professor Nguyen Van Hiep affirmed: "The prolonged competition between different writing systems disperses resources, creating difficulties for teachers, learners, and management agencies. The next phase is not about 'saving the language' but about shifting from preserving oral language to standardizing, popularizing, and institutionalizing written language."

Regarding the current state of teaching and learning at the school, Mr. Pơloong Nhứi, Deputy Principal of Lăng Primary School in Tây Giang, said that the use of the Cơ Tu language in schools is currently mostly spontaneous, entirely dependent on the personal experience of teachers without any unified guidance materials. Mr. Nhứi shared: "The children know how to speak their mother tongue but hardly know how to read or write their own ethnic script."

Unity for preservation and promotion

To address these challenges, the Ministry of Education and Training has implemented a roadmap to develop a general education program for the Katu language at the primary school level, to be introduced into teaching starting in 2026.

The workshop attracted many language experts and teachers of the Co Tu language in Da Nang City.

Dr. Thai Van Tai, Director of the Primary Education Department, Ministry of Education and Training, emphasized: The curriculum, when developed, must ensure scientific and pedagogical soundness and suitability to the psychological and physiological characteristics of primary school students. It is necessary to effectively manage the relationship between preserving the national language identity and strengthening Vietnamese language skills; building harmonious bilingual competence that supports each other rather than opposes each other. Particular attention should be paid to the selection and standardization of writing systems to ensure consensus and long-term stability.

Mr. Vo Van Khanh, Head of Primary Education Department - Da Nang City Department of Education and Training

On the local side, Mr. Vo Van Khanh, Head of the Primary Education Department - Da Nang City Department of Education and Training, suggested that schools should soon be equipped with teaching materials and cultural spaces, including libraries with books and newspapers in the Co Tu language, to provide students with a regular environment for practice. He also requested that the Ministry of Education and Training promptly issue the official textbooks and framework plan. It is expected that in June or July 2026, the City Department of Education and Training will coordinate the organization of a training course on the unified alphabet for teachers in the Tay Giang area.

Sharing the same vision, Professor Nguyen Van Hiep proposed a key solution: shifting from survey results to "social practice." The professor highly appreciated the creation of the unified Co Tu alphabet in 2025 – a harmonization between the scientific approach of the Institute of Linguistics and the practical solutions of Mr. Bh'riu Liec.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Hiep

The biggest challenge lies not in whether or not a written script exists, but in translating a unified script into a curriculum, textbooks, and classroom practice. A Katu language curriculum for primary school needs to be implemented soon, prioritizing the training of local Katu teachers. In particular, an environment for using the written language outside of school must be created through radio broadcasts, community materials, and public signage. Without social practice, a language will struggle to become a truly living heritage.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Hiep

On May 23rd, in Da Nang, the Ministry of Education and Training, in coordination with the Da Nang Department of Education and Training, organized a workshop on developing a general education curriculum for the Co Tu language at the primary school level. The workshop focused on discussing topics such as: the scientific and practical basis for curriculum development; standardization of writing systems and materials; teaching methods; teacher training; and the development of learning materials. This is considered an important step in preserving and promoting the spoken language, written script, and cultural identity of the Co Tu ethnic group.

NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/gin-giu-hon-cot-dan-toc-qua-viec-chuan-hoa-and-day-hoc-tieng-co-tu-post854055.html