Eradicating illiteracy, opening the door of knowledge for women in the highlands of Tuong Duong

In June, when students entered the summer vacation, many teachers of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Luong Minh Commune, Tuong Duong District, Nghe An) traveled to each village to encourage mothers and grandmothers to attend literacy classes. For the past 2 years, in the mountains and forests of Luong Minh, "students" in their 40s and 50s have overcome age barriers to begin to mumble each letter.

I am in 5th grade, she is in kindergarten.

In just a few days, Mrs. La Thi Xuan (53 years old, Thai ethnic group) in Minh Thanh village, Luong Minh commune, Tuong Duong district ( Nghe An ) will be able to go to school again. Mrs. Xuan has grandchildren, but she is still very eager to go to school, to learn to read and write, to calculate, to improve people's knowledge.

"This is my second year of studying. Last summer I also studied for 3 months but when I came back I didn't have time to review so now I've forgotten all the words. This year I'll continue studying and this time I'll be less confused and my re-study will definitely be faster," Ms. Xuan shared.

The Thai woman said she has 15 siblings. Because the family has many children, in the past only the boys were allowed to go to school. Ms. Xuan and her younger sister never went to school because the family was poor and the "custom" held that... if a girl went to school, she would only get married when she grew up.

Being illiterate, Ms. Xuan felt that she was at a disadvantage in many ways, so when Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities coordinated with the local government to open a literacy class, she and four other women in the village registered to attend. Despite her busy family life, Ms. Xuan still attended class regularly. However, she admitted that at her age, "learning is very difficult". Ms. Xuan's hands, which were only used to farming, now had to carefully write each stroke and number, which was not at all simple.

Ms. Xuan (second from left, first row) at the 2024 literacy class

"I now have two grandchildren. My grandchild is in 5th grade but has to stay in a boarding school. If he lived with me, he would probably teach me how to read and write. This summer, he returned to his hometown in Ky Son district, so I didn't have the chance to be taught by him," Ms. Xuan happily confided.

Ms. Xuan said that in Minh Thanh village, she is the oldest "student", the rest are only 30-40 years old. Despite her old age, she is still determined to learn. She wants to know how to read, write, and calculate, so that she can easily access knowledge, increase her understanding to develop her family's economy , and escape poverty. Currently, Ms. Xuan's family is still a near-poor household and hopes to soon overcome that difficult situation.

Open the door of knowledge

Ms. Lo Thi Chi - President of the LPHN Association of Luong Minh commune said that the literacy class hosted by Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities and teachers here has been opened for 2 years now. In the first year, 11 "students" from Minh Tien and Minh Thanh villages participated, this year these students will continue to study in phase 2. Although there are students whose families are still poor and live far away, they still walk 5-6km every day to go to class.

"Luong Minh is a commune with many difficulties as the number of poor households still accounts for 48.75%. The most difficult are the two villages of Ca Moong and Xop Chao where the Internet coverage is not stable, the people are still poor and do not have enough money to buy good smartphones, install Internet, and TV. These two villages are also "oases" when separated by Ban Ve hydroelectric lake", Ms. Chi said.

The President of the Women's Union of Luong Minh commune also shared that according to a survey, there are hundreds of illiterate women in the commune. Many do not even know the common language, which makes understanding and receiving information difficult, especially for the elderly.

Despite very active campaigning, the 2024 literacy class only had 11 participants.

Illiteracy will be a barrier that slows down the process of putting policies into practice, and mechanisms and policies will not be as effective as expected. Eradicating illiteracy will help women access policies and guidelines, access scientific and technological advances and change their lives.

Realizing the importance of "literacy", the local government and the leadership of the Board of Directors and teachers of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities have opened a literacy class. Teacher Nguyen Van Thanh - Principal of Luong Minh Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, the "father" of the literacy class, said that literacy is an important first step in the process of community development.

When people are literate, they can access the State's support policies and programs, understand and exercise their rights and obligations. That is why Mr. Thanh decided to open a class to teach literacy to ethnic minorities here. "Eliminating illiteracy for people is very important in remote areas like Luong Minh, where many ethnic minorities live. The class not only helps people learn to read and write, but also opens the door to knowledge, helps them access information, raise awareness and improve the quality of life. The class also contributes to enhancing the role of women in the family and society.

When women are literate, they can participate more actively in community activities, take better care of their families and become role models for their children. Opening a literacy class in Luong Minh commune not only has educational significance, but is also an important step forward in socio-economic development, improving the quality of life and promoting sustainable development of the local community," Mr. Thanh shared.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hien, a teacher at Luong Minh Primary School for Ethnic Minorities - the person assigned to teach the class, said: Luong Minh Commune still has many illiterate people, but organizing a class is not simple. The commune government and teachers have to go through the screening, then make statistics and then go down to the villages, to each household to encourage people to go to school. In addition, teaching these special "students" must also be creative.

Elderly woman practicing spelling

"Most of the students are older, some are holding a pen for the first time, so learning to write is very difficult. To teach effectively, I have to have a special teaching method, helping them understand and remember easily. The way of speaking and conveying knowledge is also completely different from the students at school and always creates a lively and joyful atmosphere in the class. I also teach according to the lesson plan, but do not have to follow the schedule.

Because women and grandmothers learn more slowly, if teachers are not attentive and gentle, they will become discouraged. Our goal is for everyone to know how to read and write, not to follow any program or achievement. There is still a week left until the new school year begins, but through the survey, mothers and sisters are very excited to go to school, which makes me very happy," said teacher Hien.

Ms. Hien also shared that, in order to encourage more people to go to school, every meeting in the village includes a discussion about literacy and learning to read and write, which is very important and beneficial. This year, the school also proposed some solutions such as reducing the village's contributions to students so that they can reduce their financial burden, only then can more people come to the literacy class.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/xoa-mu-chu-mo-canh-cua-tri-thuc-cho-phu-nu-vung-cao-tuong-duong-20250604132130061.htm