[Megastory] Nurturing love for homeland and country through Vietnamese language lessons

 

Observing the online classes of Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School, I noticed that the classroom atmosphere was quite lively, the students were very excited about practicing speaking and writing Vietnamese. The handwriting became rounder, the sentences were pronounced more clearly and expressively, the stories about the history and culture of Vietnam became more known to the Vietnamese children living in Japan... That is the great joy of the teachers who are volunteering at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School (Osaka, Japan).

Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School is a school operating under the sponsorship of the Consulate General of Vietnam in Osaka, Japan; organized by the Vietnamese Women's Association in Kansai region, the Association for Liaison with Overseas Vietnamese, and the University of Languages ​​and International Studies (Vietnam National University, Hanoi ).

More than 100 students aged 5 to 14 have registered to attend Vietnamese classes organized by the school. Maintained in two forms of direct learning (about 30 students) and online learning (about 70 students), Vietnamese classes are practical and meaningful activities in response to the Project "Day of Honoring Vietnamese Language in the Overseas Vietnamese Community" in the period of 2023 - 2030.

Sharing about the Vietnamese School Cay Tre, Ms. Le Thuong - Principal of the School said: “The Vietnamese language school is aneducational project that we have cherished for a long time. In addition to teaching Vietnamese, we also organize cultural exchange activities towards the roots, arousing love for the homeland and country through the image of a village school with bamboo trees - a very familiar image of every Vietnamese village. Personally, I come from the countryside, so I really want to use the image of bamboo trees to educate patriotism and awareness of roots. We create an environment for Vietnamese families to exchange, not only about language but also about culture, about the life experiences of Vietnamese people living abroad”.

According to Ms. Le Thuong, Vietnamese classes at the school are organized free of charge, built from the enthusiasm of the teaching staff as well as the program founders with the hope of being a bridge of friendship between Vietnam and Japan. The school has built diverse Vietnamese courses, meeting the needs of many learners such as: Elementary Vietnamese; Vietnamese communication; Practical Vietnamese; Vietnamese for working people... Vietnamese competitions also contribute to spreading the movement and spirit of enthusiastic learning to the younger generation.

Speaking on the occasion of the opening of the "Loving Vietnamese" class for second and third generation Vietnamese children in the Kansai region (Japan), Mr. Nguyen Manh Dong, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed: "The Loving Vietnamese class will create a lively, effective and loving learning environment, contributing to nurturing in children the culture of their ancestors. That will keep the Vietnamese soul alive wherever Vietnamese people live."

With the participation of 14 volunteer teachers, classes at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School are held live every Saturday. Teachers not only teach letters but also impart knowledge about Vietnamese history and culture to Vietnamese children studying and living in Japan. In addition, the school also expands online classes to create opportunities for many students from different provinces and cities in Japan to easily access Vietnamese language education.

Ms. Thu Cong - a volunteer teacher of Vietnamese at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School shared: “I have two young children, one 5 years old and one 8 years old - both of whom are studying at kindergartens and elementary schools in Japan. In addition to studying at local schools, I want my children to learn about Vietnamese culture and language. Preserving the mother tongue is always a concern for those of us who are far from home. This is also the reason why I joined teaching Vietnamese at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School.”

According to Ms. Thu Cong, along with many advantages and the attention of agencies, units and organizations, the teaching and learning of Vietnamese by her and her students also faces many difficulties. The teachers participating in the teaching are all volunteers, do not have much teaching experience, while there is no specialized teaching curriculum for Vietnamese students and children in Japan. Currently, the teachers still maintain the teaching of Vietnamese according to the curriculum for primary school students in Vietnam, so they face many difficulties.  

Sharing more about the difficulties in the process of teaching Vietnamese, Ms. Dinh Nhung - a volunteer teacher who teaches culture and dance to children said: "The children are of different ages, and are scattered in many places, so the reception is different. We hope to have teaching materials and teaching methods suitable for each age. Besides, the support and attention of parents is also very important to help teaching and learning Vietnamese achieve good results."

As a parent whose child attends the Vietnamese language class at Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School, Mr. Hoang Van Hoa (parent of Yuki) shared: “My child was born in Japan, so not knowing his mother tongue would be a big disadvantage. Therefore, through the Vietnamese language class, I want my child to know about his homeland, about the place where his parents were born, and to be able to communicate in Vietnamese.”

Sharing the same thought, Mr. Tran Hai Minh (parent of 2 children studying in the Vietnamese class) said: “I really appreciate the kindness of the volunteer teachers. They have always wholeheartedly supported and taught my child. Seeing that he can call “Mom”, “Dad” and say many Vietnamese words makes us very happy. Our biggest wish is that he can communicate with his grandparents when he returns to his homeland.”

As a Japanese person but with many years of dedication to teaching Vietnamese, Professor Shimizu Masaaki - Head of the Department of Vietnamese, Osaka University (Japan) said: “The number of Vietnamese people currently living in Japan has exceeded 560,000 people and we believe that knowing each other's language is extremely important to further develop exchanges between Japan and Vietnam. Moreover, to know each other's language and culture, I think it is important that you have a full awareness of the language and culture of your homeland. To achieve that goal, the key to future Japan - Vietnam exchanges is for Vietnamese children in Japan to firmly acquire their mother tongue. I hope that Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School will contribute to developing human resources to connect Japan - Vietnam exchange activities in the future”.

The efforts of Cay Tre Vietnamese Language School in preserving the national language are one of the specific activities, along with activities such as the Contest "Searching for Vietnamese Ambassadors Abroad", building a Vietnamese Bookshelf... contributing to the Project "Day of Honoring Vietnamese Language in the Vietnamese Community Abroad" in the period of 2023 - 2030.

With a community of more than 6 million Vietnamese people living, working and studying in countries and territories around the world, Vietnamese is the thread that connects them to their homeland and roots. Teaching Vietnamese to the second and third generation of Vietnamese people abroad is to "light the fire" of love for their homeland and country. So that in the future, when they grow up and become global citizens, the young generations of Vietnamese people abroad will not forget their roots. They are the ambassadors spreading the beauty of Vietnamese language and culture to the international community./.

Source: https://dangcongsan.vn/multimedia/mega-story/megastory-nuoi-duong-tinh-yeu-que-huong-dat-nuoc-qua-nhung-gio-hoc-tieng-viet-683661.html