Highland Library

Việt Nam•25/04/2024

Over the years, in order to contribute to spreading a reading culture and bringing knowledge to students and ethnic minorities, investment in building libraries in schools and equipping libraries with knowledge and legal books in mountainous communes has always been a priority.

Reading session at the library of My Thuan 2 Primary School, My Thuan commune, Tan Son district.

The green library at My Thuan 2 Primary School in My Thuan commune, Tan Son district, is always crowded with students reading during recess. This is a youth project donated by Cluster 4 of the Phu Tho Provincial Police Youth Union to the school's teachers and students during Youth Month 2023. The library, covering approximately 20 square ^meters , uses wood and thatched roofing, inspired by traditional wooden houses in the highlands. The airy, breezy space in the summer has become a popular reading area, activity center, and playground for the students.

Green Library outdoor reading space for students.

Ms. Dinh Thi Hoa, Principal of My Thuan 2 Primary School, said: “Reading time is a part of the school's curriculum, with one lesson per class per week. Spreading a reading culture among students not only helps them access knowledge through books but also hones their expressive reading skills, improves their writing abilities, and supports their learning.”

Students enjoy reading attentively whenever new books are introduced.

In addition to the green library, the school also has an indoor library with over 1,600 books covering various genres such as reference books, textbooks, law books, education books, stories, and children's picture books. Phung Thuy An, a student in class 3B, said: “I really enjoy the reading sessions at the school library. I get to read many books and look at pictures with my friends. We are always conscious of taking care of the books so we can share them with the new students.”

Not only schools, but many localities have focused on building community libraries to serve the reading needs and access to knowledge of the people. Building community libraries is one of the tasks of Project 6 "Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program for socio -economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas giai đoạn 2021 - 2030.

Community library in Dong Cuu commune, Thanh Son district.

Ngoc Dong commune, Yen Lap district, is one of five communes in the province that received support from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism for a community library in 2022. The books provide knowledge on law, health, culture, and especially agricultural books suitable for mountainous soil conditions, such as: techniques for beekeeping, raising goats, rabbits, free-range chickens, and medicinal herbs. The library has contributed to improving the spiritual life and gradually promoting the value of reading culture among ethnic minority communities.

Officials and residents of Ngoc Dong commune, Yen Lap district, read books at the community library space.

The bookshelf is conveniently located at the commune's People's Committee headquarters, making it easy for officials, Party members, and the public to access and read the books. Ha Thi Thao (Zone 7, Ngoc Dong commune, Yen Lap district) said: “The bookshelf has many interesting contents suitable for all ages. Among them, there are many useful books such as those on marriage law education or preventing child marriage, which are suitable for educating teenagers in mountainous areas about sex education.”

Books not only open up horizons of knowledge, allowing readers to experience different cultures without traveling, but schools and local authorities in mountainous districts are now investing more in and equipping themselves with a wider variety of books, diverse in genre and content. This contributes positively to the development of reading culture among ethnic minority communities, narrowing the gap in cultural access between urban and rural areas, remote regions, and between more affluent and disadvantaged areas.

Thuy Trang

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