First lesson about peace
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Lien, apart from her position as a combined military and civilian coordinator of Vietnam’s Engineering Company Rotation 1 at UNISFA, spent most of her Fridays teaching English for students of Abyei High School. The school’s principal Santino Jok Mijak was so happy because they are seriously short of teachers. Due to low salary (USD 50 per month), many local teachers have quit the job. At the moment, with the appearance of “Teacher Lien,” as the principal calls her, many local students can continue their study. Although she is not an official teacher, Nguyen Thi Lien can also be considered as the first female teacher of the school. Teacher Lien teaches according to the school's English curriculum, and also directly compiles reference materials for the students.
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During an English class of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Lien |
Knowing that Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Lien used to work as a teacher in Vietnam, Mr. Santino asked her to study the English textbooks to find the most suitable teaching methods for them.
With the allowance from her unit and the support of Principal Santino and other teachers in the Abyei High School, Mrs. Lien was excited to do her job as a teacher. Her first lesson with the book “Language of Peace” began right after the inauguration of the two classrooms built by Vietnam’s Engineering Rotation 1.
She said that she felt moved when preparing the lesson plan for the first lesson because it showed strong desire of people of Abyei, a disputed area located between Sudan and South Sudan. She understood the value of peace to this area, where people are living in fear because of weapons. She loves her students more when listening to their sayings about peace like “I want peace to go to school” or “My family will not go hungry if peace comes.”
A language teacher teaches information technology
Together with Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thi Lien, Major Nguyen Van Thu, a logistics officer at UNISFA, has volunteered to do the job as a teacher in Abyei every Friday. He teaches information technology (IT) for students of Abyei High School. With experience of an English teacher and IT knowledge that he acquired when studying at the Signal Officers Training School, Major Thu has collaborated with other teachers of the Abyei High School to build the IT training program for all-grade students.
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Major Nguyen Van Thu teaches IT for students of Abyei High School. |
With two classrooms built by the Engineering Company Rotation 1, the two Vietnamese officers are able to teach five classes only. Each class has from 30 to 35 students. The Vietnamese engineering unit has also provided teaching and learning supplies for them. Sharing about the building of the two classrooms, Major Thu said that the lack of classrooms and teaching and learning supplies affected the training programs of Abyei High School. Therefore, the Engineering Company Rotation 1 made use of available materials and asked for supports from other units to build the classrooms. Every piece of wood or concrete were collected for the constructions, he added.
He said, “The distance between us and the students is shortened, unlike the first days. We understood that building peace in Abyei is not only to prevent conflicts and protect people, but also to educate students and raise their awareness because they are the future generation of this area. This becomes a great motivation for us to continue giving knowledge to and inspiring them.”
The work of Vietnamese “blue-beret” teachers in Abyei has not only been praised by UNISFA leadership and the local authorities but also drawn the attention of the local media. Three weeks after the classes were put into operation, the Abyei Radio Station broadcast news about the classes. Granting an interview to the local radio, Principal Santino of Abyei High School expressed his hope that the classes will help improve the students’ English and IT skills. He was also delighted at seeing numerous students, who have improved their knowledge significantly after joining the classes.
Translated by Trung Thanh