Education in Ta Ba Commune: A Comprehensive Approach


May 26, 2016

Xa, right, lost one of his legs after an untreated snake bite led to infection and eventually amputation. His perseverance is an inspiration to CWS staff and his fellow students. Read his story at cwsglobal.org/xa. Photo: CWS

Xa, right, lost one of his legs after an untreated snake bite led to infection and eventually amputation. His perseverance is an inspiration to CWS staff and his fellow students. Read his story at cwsglobal.org/xa. Photo: CWS

In remote northern Vietnam, challenges to education can be steep: literally. Most ethnic minority students live in remote villages far from schools, especially those for older children. Roads and trails can be dangerous, particularly in the rainy season. Beyond the challenges that come from physically getting to school, community attitudes towards education are not enthusiastic. Education is not a priority for parents who themselves have had limited schooling. Children are often required to stay at home to work during planting and harvest time, causing them to fall further behind at school. Girls often stay home for chores or to care for younger siblings while parents work. Even when students are able to get to school, ethnic minority students often do not speak the Vietnamese language, providing a further barrier to education.

In early 2015, CWS expanded its education program work in Vietnam into Ta Ba commune in Muong Te district, a frontier area near the border with China. Through a partnership with the district Department of Education and Training and the community, CWS has introduced the child-centered teaching method, which shifts the focus from the activity of the teacher to the needs of the student. This has implications for curriculum design, course content and teaching. One method encapsulated in the new program is active learning, in which students brainstorm, discuss and work in teams to solve problems. These skills will help students succeed in whatever career they choose.

In addition to training teachers, the program partners with schools to organize community awareness events. One such event took place recently in partnership with the district Department of Education and Training and the Ethnic Minority Boarding School in Ta Ba. Children with disabilities in the region are usually not sent to school. The CWS-hosted event focused on the right to education for all children, including those with disabilities. Through dance and drama led by students with different disabilities, and by their sharing in a round-table dialogue, children raised their voices for their right to education and equal participation in civic life.  Because hundreds of students, teachers, parents and other community members joined the event, CWS and the students helped highlight local government authority and responsibility – as well as community awareness – about positive attitudes and behaviors toward children with disabilities, who are entitled to the same rights, including education and protection, as all children in Vietnam regardless of their backgrounds and abilities.

Students wash clothes with a water supply system supported by CWS. Photo: CWS

Students wash clothes with a water supply system supported by CWS. Photo: CWS

When CWS’s program expanded into Ta Ba commune, the need for clean water became apparent. Because of the long and potentially dangerous journey to schools, many students in the community are boarding students who only return home on weekends. While kindergarten students are not boarding students, they often stay all day including for lunch. Schools face water shortages for several months each year during the dry season. Thanks to a program supported by the ELCA, CWS has worked to ensure that students at Ta Ba Primary School have plentiful access to clean water. Through this program, 480 boarding students no longer have to collect and carry water from far outside their school grounds, nor must they wait in long lines for rationed water for bathing and washing clothes. New water storage tanks ensure that students have enough water to meet hygiene and sanitation needs and for vegetable gardening, which helps them to improve their diet.

Walking with communities on the journey to better education for all children requires an intentional, inclusive approach. We are proud to accompany Ta Ba commune and its children towards a better future.