Literacy in 4.0 era

ĐBP - When darkness blankets the border commune of Mường Pồn, the lights at Mường Mươn Primary School No.1 flicker to life for phase 2 literacy classes.

Interestingly, this program goes beyond traditional reading and writing by offering elective subjects based on the practical needs and aspirations of the learners. Recognizing the importance of modern connectivity, the school has integrated informatics into the curriculum to help students navigate the digital world.

Launched on September 8, 2025, the class hosts 18 students from Mường Mươn 1 and Mường Mươn 2 villages. To accommodate their daily routines, lessons are held every evening from Sunday to Thursday. Amidst the current era of digital integration, the school dedicates one session per week to basic computer skills and technology access. Consequently, these night sessions are filled not just with the sounds of spelling, but with the rhythmic clicking of keyboards as students in their sixties begin their journey to conquer digital technology with their hardworking, calloused hands.

A literacy class session at Mường Mươn Primary School No.1.

Shortly after 7:00PM, Quàng Văn Yêu from Mường Mươn 1 village quickly finishes his meal and urges his wife, Quàng Thị Hồng, to hurry so they won’t be late for the computer lesson. After a quick cleanup, the elderly couple travels across the steep roads toward the bright lights of the school. Both had previously completed primary education but were forced to quit decades ago to help their families on the farm. Having spent over half their lives away from books, they had forgotten most of their literacy skills. Now that their children are grown, they have returned to the classroom with a firm determination not to be left behind. Quàng Văn Yêu shares that literacy is now essential everywhere and expresses his excitement about learning to use computers and social media, which he finds incredibly beneficial.

Unlike traditional literacy classes with only blackboards and chalk, the informatics hour is always lively. Touching a keyboard for the first time, Lò Thị Nhung from Mường Mươn 2 village could not hide her delight as the screen lit up before her eyes. From getting familiar with the hardware to typing her first words and accessing digital platforms, everything is a brand-new experience. Her hands, rough from years of labor, now carefully practice typing her name in Word. She reflects that while she once watched her children study without understanding what they were doing, she now realizes how wonderful computers are and feels joyful to be keeping up with modern society.

Teacher Lò Thị Hồng guiding a student on how to use a computer and access digital platforms.

Cà Văn Khánh from Mường Mươn 1 village notes that the classes have brought positive changes to family life. In his village alone, 11 people attend. Previously, men would often gather to drink or go to bed early, but now everyone attends class diligently without missing a single session. Lò Thị Hồng, the informatics teacher, recalls the early days when residents were anxious and worried about accidentally breaking the equipment. Teachers had to offer constant encouragement, physically guiding their hands to use the mouse and power on the machines. While teaching adults is more challenging than teaching primary students, the curiosity and determination of the learners provide the teachers with the motivation to stay late and answer every question.

Principal Phạm Thị Ngân explains that the school assigns five teachers to the program to ensure the quality of instruction. Since the class is held at the central campus, it benefits from full facilities and a dedicated computer lab. This setup ensures that learners not only become literate but also gain essential skills to access information and use digital platforms. This is considered an urgent requirement in modern life, helping residents keep pace with technology to improve production, trade, and access to public services.

For several months, these digital literacy sessions in Mường Pồn have often lasted until past 10:00PM. While the roads back to the villages are shrouded in the silence of the night, the school remains lit. Through the efforts of the teachers and the persistent spirit of the students, these classes are lighting a path of hope for border ethnic communities, ensuring that every keystroke opens a door to a more prosperous future.

Hà Linh
Comment

You have 500/500 characters left

Please enter 5 or more characters!!!

Recent news

  • 'Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng works in Điện Biên

    Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng works in Điện Biên

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - As part of his working program in Điện Biên, on the morning of July 25, Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng held a working session with the Standing Board of the Điện Biên provincial Party Committee regarding the execution of socio-economic development, national defense, security, and foreign affairs tasks in the first six months of the year, alongside upcoming tasks and solutions.
  • 'Kindling hope

    Kindling hope

    NEWS - POLITICS -
    ĐBP - Across the S-shaped strip of land, quietly standing in martyrs’ cemeteries are rows of white gravestones bearing the words “Martyr’s grave with unidentified information.”
  • 'Bridging businesses and job seekers

    Bridging businesses and job seekers

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - With an abundant labor force and growing recruitment demand, connecting businesses with job seekers has become a key solution to employment generation in Điện Biên. Through the collaboration of enterprises and the provincial employment service system, many local workers have secured stable jobs, contributing to more effective labor market matching and the sustainable development of the local workforce.
  • 'Listening to people, resolving people’s affairs

    Listening to people, resolving people’s affairs

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - Identifying dialogue, citizen reception, and the resolution of complaints and denouncements as crucial, regular duties, Điện Biên province has focused on elevating the responsibility of heads of organizations, stepping up dialogue, proactively grasping situations, and settling matters right from the grassroots level.
  • 'Accelerating implementation of social housing projects

    Accelerating implementation of social housing projects

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Social housing development contributes to resolving housing demands for low-income earners, public servants, employees, and workers - while generating momentum to promote urban development, attract investment, and guarantee social welfare.
  • 'Restoring names, reuniting families

    Restoring names, reuniting families

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - Although the war ended decades ago, countless families of fallen soldiers continue to wait quietly for the day their loved ones are found, identified by name, and brought home. From faded photographs and aging death notices to memories preserved across generations, that hope has never faded.
  • 'Preserving green of forests

    Preserving green of forests

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Bordering areas with vast territories, rugged terrain, obstructed transportation, and impacts from agricultural production constantly pose latent risks of forest resource encroachment. Facing these demands, the forest protection forces of Điện Biên and Lai Châu provinces have intensified coordination in forest management, protection, and fire prevention and fighting (FPFF) - contributing to maintaining forested areas and limiting forestry law violations.
  • 'Family support on path to rehabilitation

    Family support on path to rehabilitation

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - In prisoner education and rehabilitation work, the family always serves as a vital spiritual support, helping convicts recognize their mistakes and strive to amend themselves to reintegrate into society early.
  • 'Introducing new crops into production

    Introducing new crops into production

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Expanding coffee and macadamia regions, pineapple fields developing toward commercial production, and experimental models of new crop varieties are painting fresh colors across Điện Biên’s agricultural landscape. The province focuses on developing strategic crops and bringing high-economic-value crop varieties into production - contributing to elevating land use efficiency and creating sustainable livelihoods for the public.
  • 'Driving green transition: Electric vehicles on rise in Điện Biên

    Driving green transition: Electric vehicles on rise in Điện Biên

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Along with the growing transition toward green energy, the use of electric vehicles in Điện Biên is increasing steadily. From electric motorcycles and cars for daily travel to electric taxis for passenger transport, eco-friendly vehicles are becoming increasingly common on local roads, helping reduce emissions, lower operating costs, and gradually foster environmentally friendly transportation habits.
  • 'Expectations from specific policies for agricultural development

    Expectations from specific policies for agricultural development

    ECONOMY -
    ĐBP - Facing requirements for agricultural restructuring toward modernity, the Điện Biên provincial People’s Council passed a Resolution at its 4th session stipulating support policies for sector restructuring toward concentrated, green, smart, and sustainable commercial production.
  • 'Supporting youth union members in economic development

    Supporting youth union members in economic development

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - Over recent years, Youth Union executive bodies across Điện Biên province have consistently accompanied youth union members by supporting preferential credit loans, transferring scientific and technical advances, providing career orientation and job placement services, and building economic models suited to each locality’s conditions. Through practical support policies, many youth union members have boldly started businesses and enriched themselves right on their home soil.
  • 'Removing barriers from backward customs

    Removing barriers from backward customs

    SOCIAL AFFAIRS -
    ĐBP - In several highland areas of Điện Biên province, backward customs persisting through generations continue to leave numerous consequences. Ranging from home births without healthcare worker assistance and sick children not being taken to medical facilities in time, to child marriage and consanguineous marriage, these backward customs directly affect health, population quality, and stand as barriers to the sustainable development of ethnic minority areas.