Linking Education with Preserving Muong Cultural Identity

Catching the tempo of the new school year, educational institutions in Muong Bi Commune quickly perfected their organizational structures and stabilized teaching and learning routines. Along with ensuring learning conditions for students across school branches, schools emphasize incorporating Muong cultural values into educational activities, contributing to nurturing love for the homeland, pride, and awareness of preserving traditions among the younger generation.

Facilities at Muong Bi Primary School receive investment, contributing to raising teaching and learning quality.

Stabilizing Schools and Classes Following Reorganization

During the initial days of the new school year, the atmosphere at Muong Bi Primary School became vibrant. Students excitedly returned to school, meeting teachers and friends to begin their learning journey with great expectations.

Do Tuan Minh, a student in Class 4A2, shared: “In the new school year, I will try my best to be obedient, study well, actively participate in school activities, and hope to have many more beautiful memories.”

Following the reorganization, Muong Bi Primary School has 1,542 students and 59 classes, consisting of 1 main headquarters, 1 sub-campus, and 4 school branches. Some school branches are nearly 20 km away from the main headquarters with difficult terrain, placing high demands on management, operations, and teaching organization.

With the motto of not letting organizational changes disrupt educational activities, the School Board along with teachers and staff proactively overcame difficulties to swiftly stabilize routines. Task assignments, management organization, and teaching execution are carried out flexibly, tailored to the conditions of each school branch to ensure students learn in a safe, friendly, and high-quality environment.

Comrade Tran Thi Phuong, Vice Principal in charge of Muong Bi Primary School, stated: “The school determined high resolve in executing school year tasks, closely following directives and guidance from the Education sector and local authorities. At the same time, we focus on innovating management methods toward governance, assigning specific duties to managers, team leaders, and heads of sub-campuses and school branches to ensure close supervision of schools and classes, promptly grasping the situation to complete assigned tasks alongside teaching staff.”

Students enthusiastically participate in experiential lessons.

Following reorganization, educational institutions in Muong Bi Commune were reorganized toward a streamlined structure with unified management, ensuring teaching and learning activities. From 8 schools (4 kindergartens and 4 Primary & Lower Secondary Schools), the locality organized them into 3 schools: Muong Bi Kindergarten, Muong Bi Primary School, and Muong Bi Lower Secondary School.

Along with perfecting Party organization, mass organizations, professional teams, and office staff, schools rearranged main headquarters, sub-campuses, and school branches to suit actual conditions. Muong Bi Kindergarten placed its main headquarters at the Phong Phu Kindergarten facility. Muong Bi Primary School and Muong Bi Lower Secondary School were arranged in corresponding areas of the former Phong Phu Primary & Lower Secondary School. Sub-campuses and school branches in Phu Cuong, Dich Giao, My Hoa, Dong Khieng, and Muong Trao continue to be maintained, utilizing existing facilities and teaching equipment to ensure uninterrupted learning for students.

Bringing Muong Culture into Schools

Teachers and students of Muong Bi Lower Secondary School exchange and share knowledge after class.

Muong Bi is one of the four famous historical and cultural Muong regions of the former Hoa Binh area. Traditional values such as stilt houses, traditional attire, spoken language, gongs, and customs are still preserved in community life. Among them, the Muong Ethnic Khai Ha Festival held early in the lunar new year is one of the locality’s prominent cultural activities.

From these existing values, schools select suitable content to incorporate into educational and experiential activities. Students learn about and experience Muong culture through lessons, extracurricular activities, folk songs, dances, folk games, and traditional customs, helping them better understand their ethnic origins and culture.

Cultural education extends beyond introducing knowledge to manifesting within the school space itself. Several schools built Muong cultural spaces on campus, recreating traditional stilt houses with areas such as kitchens, guest reception rooms, and staircases; while displaying traditional attire and handcrafted tools.

Schools also established cultural clubs, perfected steering committees on preserving Muong culture, and built activity plans suited to practical conditions. Through this, local cultural content is maintained regularly rather than appearing solely during festivals and celebrations.

Comrade Hoang Thi Thu Huong, Principal of Muong Bi Lower Secondary School, stated: “Bringing Muong culture into schools not only contributes to preserving ancestral heritage values but also cultivates pride and a sense of responsibility among the younger generation in preserving ethnic cultural identity during the period of integration and development.”

The partnership of parents, including preparing traditional attire for students to wear on holidays, contributes to creating a rich cultural school environment closely connected to local cultural life.

Cultural activities organized by schools during the Muong Ethnic Khai Ha Festival.

Comrade Le Chi Huyen, Chairman of Muong Bi Commune, stated: “Following the reorganization, the locality focuses on directing schools to stabilize organization, maintain teaching and learning routines, and emphasize traditional education and ethnic cultural identity preservation.”

Under conditions where schools operate on a large scale with multiple sub-campuses, school branches, and wide management territories, organizational stability is the immediate priority. In the long term, the locality determines that raising education quality must be linked with unique community characteristics, in which Muong culture represents a value to be preserved and promoted.

From stabilizing school-class systems to building cultural spaces within schools, educational institutions in Muong Bi are step-by-step creating learning environments linked with local traits. Through this, students are not only equipped with knowledge but also gain opportunities to understand their homeland, cherish traditional cultural values, and form an awareness of preserving their community’s identity.

Duc Anh