The image of young “teachers” at the literacy class day and night has been familiar with ethnic minority people in the border area of Sop Cop district, and has been highly appreciated by the local Party Committee and authorities.
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During a lesson at a literacy class in Pung Pang village, Muong Va commune, Sop Cop district |
One step closer to dream
Pung Pang is a village located in Muong Va commune, Sop Cop district. As a habit, after dinner, Lau Ba Tong and his wife Giang Thi Bu prepare school supplies and then go to the literacy class led by teacher Vu Ba No, a young intellectual of Defense-Economic Unit 326. Tong shared that he faced many difficulties because of his illiteracy. Therefore, he wanted to learn how to read and write to settle administrative procedures in an easier manner.
Born into and raised in a family with extremely difficult conditions, Song Thi Giong from Muong Va commune could not go to school when she was a little girl. The image of Ms. Giong with her callous hands holding the pen to carefully write each word made us really admire her determination and strong will.
Receiving the information about the literacy class of Defense-Economic Unit 326, the desire to learn how to read and write motivated her to sign up for the class. More than ever, she wanted to get rid of poverty and backwardness. Ms. Giong sent deep thanks to young teachers for their literacy class. She promised to study hard to have a better life in the future.
According to Colonel Nguyen Dinh Chien, Chief of Defense-Economic Unit 326, over the past years, the unit has closely cooperated with local authorities to mobilize young volunteer intellectuals to join 35 literacy classes for more than 770 local people and urged 230 drop-outs to come back to the school. Especially, since 2022, the unit has opened two literacy classes for residents in villages of Muong Lan and Muong Va communes (Sop Cop district). In the time to come, the unit will continue coordinating with local authorities to effectively carry out illiteracy eradication work.
The kind heart of young intellectuals
Vu Ba No is a H’mong student graduating from Son La College. Knowing that Defense-Economic Unit 326 selected young volunteer intellectuals to work at Song Ma Defense-Economic Zone, No submitted a registration application, and then he was selected.
With the youth's enthusiasm, No proposed measures to higher levels to encourage local people to join literacy classes. He shared that he and officers of Defense-Economic Unit 326 persistently came to each household to disseminate information about the significance of literacy. Apart from knowing how to read, write, and do some basic calculations, local people can update information related to science and technology, thereby they could apply them to production activities, among others.
Currently, the literacy class is open regularly from 19:00 to 21:00 every Monday to Thursday, drawing the participation of nearly 30 people between the ages of 17 to 60. Initially, almost all “students” are illiterate. Therefore, during the teaching process, teachers had to speak three languages, including the languages of the Thai and H’mong ethnic people. At present, all students show their confidence in communication and some have ability to read and write fluently.
Along with teaching villagers how to read and write, young intellectuals also live together with them to popularize information and encourage them to strictly observe the Party’s guidelines, the State’s policies and laws, and the locality’s regulations. Meanwhile, young intellectuals teach the local how to raise livestock and poultry and apply science-technology in farming, to name but a few.
These practical deeds have contributed to raising the life quality of local people and tightening the military-civilian relations.
Translated by Quynh Oanh