The Da Nang People’s Committee’s issued guidelines relating to increasing the educational levels of people from sea border areas.  In response the Hai Van Border Guard Station has, since the middle of 2014, coordinated with the Hoa Hiep Bac Ward authorities in Lien Chieu District to organise a free of charge course for illiterate local people in order to help them learn to read and write.

The class now has 12 trainees from different age groups.  The youngest is 13 years old, whilst the oldest is 52.  The teachers are Lieutenant Doan Hong Quang from the Hai Van Border Guard Station and Ms Le Thi Kim Hoa from the Tran Binh Trong Primary School. 

Lt Doan Hong Quang and the youngest student

Lt Quang said that he had found it very difficult at first to encourage people to attend his classes because most of them were low-income earners with irregular working hours.  He added that, thanks to a detailed and thorough explanation by the border guards and the ward authorities, people have now started to attend the classes regularly.

52-year-old Ngo Thi Dua, the oldest trainee in the class, said that she now feels happy and no longer feels shy because of her illiteracy.  She now can write and sign her name in cursive instead of having to use her fingerprints.  

After one year of study, all the trainees have passed Grade 1 in accordance with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training’s rules, and they are now working towards Grade 2.