ILLITERACY AND RECURRENT ILLITERACY IN AREAS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES: THE CASE OF MUONG MUON AND NA SANG COMMUNES, MUONG CHA DISTRICT, DIEN BIEN PROVINCE

Abstract

Muong Cha, a mountainous district in Dien Bien province, is the dwelling territory of 13 ethnic groups, among which Hmong accounts for 62.02%, Thai 22.15%, Kinh 6.80%, Khmu 4.76%, and others. The district currently has 12 administrative units, among which Muong Muon and Na Sang are considered two among the most disadvantaged mountainous communes with 55.37% households in poverty (2007 data). Criteria used to determine "illiteracy" in this paper are adopted from Decisions and Circulars of Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training. According to a survey conducted in January 2013 on 645 people, the actual illiteracy rate (including recurrent illiteracy and illiteracy) of four villages of these two communes is as high as 46.20%. If the standards set by Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training in Circular No. 14 - GDĐT in 1997 are applied, these places cannot be considered basically free from illiteracy. Among five ethnic groups residing in this location, Hmong has the highest actual illiteracy rate (78.56%), followed by Khang (accounting for 70.96%), the next is Khmu people (68.65%), followed by Thai (51.69%); and the last is Kinh people (05.88%). On the other hand, there exists some difference, though insignificant, between the actual illiteracy rates among females and males (with fewer males than females). However, in sex-disaggregated figures, female illiteracy rate stands at 51.58%, while males account for 35.47%; 29.05% males return to illiteracy whereas recurrent illiteracy occurs among only 15.79% females. When analyzed by age, the actual illiteracy proportions are 46.25% among the 6-18 age group, 74.13% among the 19-54 age group (females) and 19-60 age group (males), and
89.28% in the group beyond working age.