Army Captain on the journey of "sowing letters" in the highlands

Captain Lo Van Thoai, born in 1981 in Muong Va village, Muong Va commune, Sop Cop district, Son La province, is a Lao ethnic. Born into a poor family, he has nurtured a strong will since childhood, dreaming of becoming a good cadre to help his compatriots overcome poverty and build a rich and beautiful homeland. With that determination, he gradually realized his dream.

Captain Lo Van Thoai diligently in "popular education" classes. Photo: Provided by the character

In 2003, after graduating from Border Guard College 1, Captain Thoai was assigned to Muong Lan Border Guard Station (Border Guard of Son La Province) as a mass mobilization officer. This is also the place that marked his journey as a teacher wearing a green uniform.

Starting from scratch

Muong Lan Border Guard Station is in charge of 16 villages and 2 residential areas, mostly inhabited by Mong ethnic people. Illiteracy is widespread here, and backward customs are deeply rooted in life. Faced with this situation, Captain Thoai proposed opening literacy classes to help people access knowledge and the law.

However, it was not easy to persuade people to come to class. Many people thought that learning to read and write was useless and that “in the end, they would just go to work in the fields”. Undeterred, he persistently went to each house, explaining the benefits of knowing how to read and write. Seeing that this approach was not effective, the Captain applied the “4 together” motto: eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the ethnic language together, to create closeness. Thanks to his dedication, he gradually convinced people to come to class.

Despite not having formal training in pedagogy, Captain Thoại still actively learned from experienced teachers to compile appropriate lesson plans. However, teaching was also challenging because the students were of many ages, many of whom were elderly and could not hold a pen. The captain still patiently trained each student, spending a whole month helping them write their first words.

“ Some people hide their notebooks when they can’t write properly, but when they can write their name, they get much more excited, ” he said. To keep students interested, he always creates interesting lectures.

During the day, the Captain was tasked with mobilizing the masses; at night, Captain Thoai's classroom was lit up to welcome people returning from farming. After a few months, the first students were able to read and write. From then on, the class grew in size, and the number of graduates steadily increased.

Continuing the journey of knowledge

In early 2022, Captain Thoai took up a job at Nam Lanh Border Post, in charge of Nam Lanh and Muong Va communes. This is an area with many difficulties, with illiteracy, re-illiteracy, and early marriage being common. Worried about these limitations, he made a list of cases that needed support in learning to read and proposed opening an anti-illiteracy class in Pa Khoang village.

Initially, the class had only a few students, but after much mobilization, the number increased to 24 people, ranging from 14 to 45 years old. Students not only learned to read and write, but also learned how to save the names of relatives on their phones. Many people realized that learning helped them improve their lives, understand books, take care of their health, do business, and become more confident in communication.

Captain Lo Van Thoai's class has students of many ages. Photo: NVCC

Captain Thoại also integrates teaching content with propaganda of the Party's policies, laws, preservation of national culture, and elimination of bad customs. He encourages people to apply knowledge to production and animal husbandry to increase income.

Sower of hope

Captain Thoai’s classes not only help people in the border areas become literate, but also inspire them to escape poverty. With his dedication, patience and love for his fellow countrymen, he is affectionately called “the green uniformed teacher”.

" I just hope that after finishing school, people will know how to apply knowledge to develop the economy, take care of their families, and together build an increasingly prosperous homeland ," he shared.

Captain Thoai's journey is a beautiful story about a border soldier who not only protects the border area, but also opens the way for the light of knowledge, helping ethnic minorities change their lives.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/dai-uy-quan-doi-tren-hanh-trinh-gioo-chu-noi-vung-cao-362903.html