The Success of Do Nhan Primary and Secondary School Model: Preserving and Promoting Muong Ethnic Cultural Identity

9/21/2024 - 4:03:13 PM

In the 2018 National General Education Program, the local educational content was integrated into the subjects for the lower secondary students and experiential activities for the primary students. Do Nhan Primary and Secondary School, located in Nhan My Commune (Tan Lac), has 100% of its students and 70% of its teachers from Muong ethnic group. Although there are many natural scenic spots and potential for tourism development in the area, they have not yet been effectively exploited. As a result, the school has implemented a model titled "Preserving and promoting Muong ethnic cultural identity through the subjects and experiential activities linked to the local tourism development”.

The students and teachers at Do Nhan Primary and Secondary School, Nhan My Commune (Tan Lac), are exploring Muong culture in a stilt house on the school's premises.

The principal, Mrs. Bui Thi Hong Van says: To implement the model, the school has focused on raising the awareness and engaging the involvement of the local authorities, teachers, students, and parents. Since the beginning of 2023-2034 academic year, the school has instructed the specialized departments to review and integrate the local educational content related to preserving the ethnic cultural identity into the subjects. This approach allows the students to experience traditional folk games, singing, and dancing… imbued with the traditional cultural identity.

Specifically, the school has developed a model that integrates the preservation and promotion of Muong ethnic cultural identity into various subjects. In the local education program for grade 2, the teachers introduce the traditional clothing of Muong ethnoc peopel. In Grade 3, the students visit and learn about the local landscapes and traditional dishes. The students of Grade 4 learn about the ethnic musical instruments, while the students of Grade 5 study the traditional Muong house. For the lower secondary students, the local education becomes a separate subject. The school has established "Muong Un” club. The club organizes the plans for the activities, besides the knowledge in the local educational program, they have coordinated with the students’ parents, the management board, and the cultural team of each hamlet to teach Muong cultural performances (e.g., traditional dance, flute playing, and folk singing). Students also engage in the traditional Muong games during the breaks, and two science projects on Muong folk games and culture have been selected for the provincial competition.

Notably, 100% of the female students and teachers voluntarily wear traditional Muong outfits every Monday and Friday. The school has also collaborated with the Parent Association to raise 37 million VND to build a stilt house and purchase the items to recreate Muong cultural space on the campus. To further link the cultural preservation with tourism development, the school has worked with the local tourism sites in Nhan My and Phong Phu to promote the destinations such as Cot Co Mountain, Trang Waterfall, and Lua Village, and traditional Muong dishes. During holidays, the students in the school’s club participate in the cultural performances and serve as tour guides when needed.

Preservation and promoting the ethnic cultural identity is a responsibility of the society as a whole. The model "Preserving and promoting Muong ethnic cultural identity through the subjects and experiential activities linked to the local tourism development” at Do Nhan primary and secondary school allows the students to experience Muong cultural activities, encouraging them to explore and understand their cultural heritage, while instilling in them a sense of pride in Muong ethnic group. This contributes to the local efforts to promote Muong culture and tourism development. These experiential activities help students develop comprehensively and improve the quality of education.

The school's efforts have been recognized with an 8-year streak of commendations from the provincial People’s Committee. In 2023, the school was awarded by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Education and Training. In December 2023, the school was recognized to meet the National Standard Level I. With the practical results, the model was recognized as a provincial-level advanced initiative and awarded during the 4th Provincial Recognition Program in July 2024.

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