VietNamNet Bridge - "The rate of families awarded the ‘cultured’ title increases annually, but social morals and family values have degraded," admitted Mr. Pham Van Thuy, Director of the Grassroots Culture & Information Department of the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism in an interview with Nguoi Lao Dong.

Forced to be “cultured families”

“Cultured Family” title: In chase of vainglory

A "Cultured Village" board in Quang Nam Province.

76% of families earning the title of cultured family in 2012 is an impressive figure. What is the outstanding point of the movement to build “cultured families” in brief?

In the 1960s, in Ngoc Tinh hamlet, Ngoc Long commune, Yen My district, Hung Yen province, six households voluntarily worked together to build cultured families. Recognizing this model humanistic, the Ministry of Culture has expanded it into a nationwide movement.

So far, the movement has developed in width and depth, attracting 90 % of families living in rural areas. In 2006, there were nearly 15 million households registered to build “cultured families” and 72.58 % reached the criteria. By 2012, this figure was over 16 million households, with 76 % up to standards.

The movement has created the foundation for the sustainable development of Vietnamese families. The construction of cultured families has really become important education environment, improving the quality of life both physically and mentally of family members.

In fact, many people still complain that the selection of cultured families is formalistic and arbitrary and people are not allowed to involve in the selection process?

It is true that the movement has been carried out in a long time but some localities are still confused in specifying the criteria and don’t respect the selection procedures.

Another thing to worry about now is the movement is growing but the quality of cultured families is unstable, demonstrating that the social evils like drug addiction and gambling have been penetrating into families.

It is being frank to admit that the rate of cultured families is rising every year, but social ethics and family values have deteriorated. Also, funds for this movement is limited so many localities cannot reward cultured families. As a result, they cannot create motivation and encourage the movement.

Where do these restrictions come from?

In some places, perceptions of government leaders and citizens of the position and role of the family and the cultured family is improper. They disregard this task and consider it the task of the cultural sector.

This has led to loose collaboration among agencies and make the movement formalistic. The inspection and rectify of any deficiencies and shortcomings in implementing the selection has not been emphasized. In addition, we lack staff and especially qualified staff to do this task at grassroots level.

According to the objectives of the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism, by 2015 at least 80 % of the families will be cultured families and by 2020 it will be 85 percent. Does the number reflect the quality?

To make the movement be realistic and quality, drastic and synchronous solutions are needed. The movement should be linked to annual social-economic development plans of localities.

We plan to organize periodic ceremonies to honor outstanding cultured families to encourage the movement. We will propose the Party Central Secretariat and the Politburo to issue directives on building and strengthen cultured families in the renovation period. We will also ask for more funding for the movement, especially in the remote areas.

Building cultural life in residential areas is essential but it must be intrinsic, readers said.

Many readers sent feedback about the “cultured family” building movement, saying that the movement is now far from the original goals. This movement is implemented in formalistic and propagandized way in many localities so that they have “achievements” to report to the superiors.

They said that all localities have nearly 100 % of cultured streets, cultured villages and cultured residential areas but let's look at the lives of the local people to see how it is “cultured?”

Specifically, in Dong Nai province, there are a lot of cultured streets, but when a truck carrying beer was upturned, many people looted the beer in the cry of the driver on December 4.

In many other places, rubbish is gathered just below the sign of cultured streets, neighbors fighting against each others and many people being drug and alcohol addicts.

Readers said that this movement is formalistic, costly, and is a waste, which gives too much power to the grassroots governments. It is better to do realistic tasks like preventing flood, build kindergartens and hospitals.

According to many readers, if the street authorities do not try to have high rates of cultured families, they will lose the title “cultured street.” It is similar for the ward and district authorities… Thus, the authorities at all levels chase after the formalistic movement and the life of people is not more "cultured."

Forcing people to buy the slogan board “Determined to build cultured families" is uncultured, readers said.

“Let’s estimate how much money that they pay for hoardings, slogans, banners, posters, certificates and selection procedures,” a reader proposed.

Many readers said that they were not proud to receive the “Cultured Family” certificate because even the families whose family members quarrel with each others every day are also recognized “cultured.”

People’s awareness of “cultured family” movement is low, survey

According to a recent survey of the Family and Gender Research Institute of Vietnam, only 29.5 % of respondents knew about the criteria on cultured families; 55.2 % said they heard about the title but they did not know about the criteria; 15.2 % did not know about the criteria in annual registrations.

NLD