Teaching Vietnamese to ethnic minority students

Vietnamese language enhancement class at the beginning of the new school year for first graders at Lung Cu Primary Boarding School.

In August, in the highlands, the "e" and "a" sounds of first graders at Lung Cu Primary Boarding School resounded in the classrooms. The students were learning Vietnamese intensively at the beginning of the new school year. Teacher Hoang Thi Tam shared: "This year's first graders are mainly ethnic minority children, so they do not speak Vietnamese clearly. Implementing the plan of the Ministry of Education and the province, from the beginning of August, we have implemented intensive Vietnamese teaching, helping students get used to the new learning environment, stabilize their psychology, and form basic learning habits and routines. This also helps teachers detect early the difficulties and limitations of students in order to have appropriate teaching methods."

In the 2025-2026 school year, Lung Cu Primary Boarding School has 29 classes and 793 students. Of which, there are 4 first grade classes with 166 students. Ms. Duong Thi Thanh, Principal of the school, said: “From the beginning of the school year, the school has developed a plan and directed the organization of enhanced Vietnamese language teaching for students according to the document set “Guidelines for teaching children to speak Vietnamese” for all first graders. At the same time, we have organized a variety of educational activities such as: physical education, experiential activities, school library activities, and organized competitions to learn Vietnamese. With a good foundation in Vietnamese, students can learn other subjects more easily, understand lessons better, thereby helping students learn and absorb knowledge in primary school faster and more effectively. Enhancing Vietnamese language skills helps students participate effectively in learning activities according to the 2018 General Education Program”.

At Thuong Nong Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities in Thuong Nong Commune, first graders are also continuing the final weeks of the "Enhancing Vietnamese Language" program at the beginning of the new school year. Teacher Tran Thanh Chien, Principal of the school, said: This school year, the school has 5 first grade classes, 182 students. The students are mainly children of Tay, Mong, Dao ethnic groups, whose Vietnamese language skills are still limited, so they are still shy and confused when coming to school and communicating. Since August 4, the school has implemented Vietnamese language teaching, a program lasting 4 weeks. Along with that, the school has also stepped up propaganda and dissemination to raise awareness and responsibility of parents, students, teachers... for enhancing Vietnamese language preparation for ethnic minority children. Teachers encourage students to communicate in Vietnamese anytime, anywhere, during class, recess, flag salutes, and class activities, helping them to be bold and confident in front of a crowd. In particular, teachers also proactively grasp the number of students who are slow in learning Vietnamese in each class in the block to promptly teach. During the teaching process, the focus is on the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Most of the students, after being introduced from the second week onwards, have become more confident, entering the new school year with a confident mindset, and integrating more easily.

According to the Department of Education and Training, in the 2025-2026 school year, the province will have 279 primary schools, 6,645 classes and groups of classes, with 179,604 students. Of these, 149,239 are ethnic minority students, accounting for 83.1%. Doing a good job of preparing Vietnamese for ethnic minority children before entering first grade, along with teaching and learning activities, organizing activities to enhance Vietnamese will be important factors to promote and improve the quality of teaching and learning in ethnic minority areas in the province.

Article and photos: My Ly

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/day-tieng-viet-cho-hoc-sinh-dan-toc-thieu-so-5f25b88/