Special classes

Cà Là Pá village, Sín Thầu commune, has over 1,000 Hmong people. In the past, life was difficult, and people had little opportunity to attend school, so illiteracy remained. To help the people “learn to read and write,” the locality conducted reviews, communication, and mobilization for people to attend classes.

From September 2024 to May 2025, at the Cà Là Pá school site, a special class was held with 17 students, aged 22 to 55, all residents of the village. The class was organized by Leng Su Sìn Semi-Boarding Primary School for Ethnic Minorities, aiming to help people learn basic reading and writing for their lives. Vũ Xuân Thi, the teacher directly in charge of the class, said: “After the plan to open the class was made, we and the village chief went house-to-house to mobilize. Once they understood the benefits of learning to read, the people participated very actively, trying to arrange their time and family work to attend regularly. Participants were given school supplies and received a support of VND 150,000 per month. By the end of the course, everyone knew how to read and write, so they were very excited.”

Due to the region’s specific nature, 100% of the classes were held at night. Despite this, the people’s spirit for learning was highly valued. A notable case is Vừ Thị Bầu, as both she and her husband actively participated. According to Bầu, both had attended school before but dropped out. Because it had been so long and they didn’t use it regularly, they had forgotten how to read, write, and calculate.

“At first, my husband didn’t want to attend due to shyness and embarrassment. But after the teachers mobilized and explained for a while, we registered. We work during the day, and at night, my husband and I go to class together. Now we know how to write our names, read documents at the commune office, and no longer have to ask others to read for us. We are very happy,” Bầu shared.

Not just in Sín Thầu, over the past few years, literacy classes have been continuously opened in many localities in the province. Despite difficult conditions, the schools assigned the task were very active in organizing and mobilizing students. In early September, Sa Lông Semi-Boarding Primary School for Ethnic Minorities (Na Sang commune) also opened a phase 2 literacy class for the 2025 - 2026 school year.

Lê Xuân Vỹ, the school’s principal, said: “Initially, when students registered, the numbers weren’t guaranteed. The school’s management board had to mobilize teachers and coordinate with the locality to promote communication, mobilization, and explanation so people understood the value of the class. After understanding, they participated very actively.”

“The official class list has 20 students, but in reality, many sessions attract a very large number of participants. Even though they are held in the evenings, people attend diligently. When registering, they proactively arrange their housework to make time for class. Everyone is eager and determined to learn to improve their knowledge and skills for life,” Vỹ shared.

Filling knowledge gap

Having attended mainstream classes or literacy classes before, but due to living in remote areas and rarely using writing, many ethnic minority people relapse into illiteracy. Therefore, every year, the Điện Biên provincial People’s Committee always directs and builds targets and plans for illiteracy eradication, aiming to raise the intellectual level of ethnic peoples, contributing to the effective implementation of local political and social tasks.

Statistics for the 2021 - 2025 period show the province organized 175 literacy classes for over 4,000 students, achieving a 100% graduation or program completion rate. This includes 28 classes with 621 students in 2022; 56 classes with 1,324 students in 2023 (including 2 classes for 71 students at Nà Tấu Prison); 61 classes with 1,386 students in 2024; and a planned 30 classes for 692 students in 2025.

The classes are flexibly arranged in terms of time, location, and content, suitable for the learners’ level and living conditions. The teaching staff consists of teachers from primary and secondary schools in the area, people who understand the languages and customs of the ethnic minority communities.

Practical implementation shows that illiteracy eradication is not just the task of the education sector but has mobilized the active participation of the entire political system. This includes issuing policies to support learners, organizing and expanding participation, investing in facilities and people, and coordinating mobilization to create consensus in the communities where classes are opened.

Along with this, the “Whole country emulates building a learning society, promoting lifelong learning” movement has spread widely. Models like “Learning Family,” “Learning Lineage,” “Learning Community,” and “Learning Citizen” have been replicated. Activities responding to Lifelong Learning Week and the Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day are regularly maintained, helping to raise community awareness about the meaning of continuous learning.

Điện Biên has determined that illiteracy eradication does not stop at helping people read and write, but aims for a sustainable goal: creating conditions for learners to continue on to supplementary education, vocational training, or skills training courses. This is a solution to help people apply knowledge to production and business, improving their income and quality of life.

Illiteracy eradication is also linked with the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas. The teaching content integrates techniques for agricultural production, small business, and family financial management, tailored to the conditions of each area, helping learners “learn to do, learn to live better.”

With the foundation of achievements, the province sets a goal to maintain the level 2 literacy standard, continue to improve teaching quality, and expand the scale of classes. The close coordination between the government, the education sector, and social forces is a key factor helping the province maintain its position as one of the localities with a strong illiteracy eradication movement, contributing to raising the people’s intellectual level and sustainably developing the ethnic minority and mountainous regions.