Sowing letters in the highlands

For many years now, every evening, the literacy class of Captain - professional soldier Lo Van Thoai (Nam Lanh Border Post - Son La Provincial Border Guard) has been lit up. The students are ethnic minorities from Muong Va commune, Sop Cop district, Son La province, aged 15 - 60.

"With the letter, people are very happy"

Visiting the literacy class of Captain Lo Van Thoai in Pa Khoang village, Muong Va commune, we can see that the learning atmosphere is extremely serious and disciplined like a formal classroom. People who come here not only learn letters, but Mr. Thoai also inspires them about the meaning of letters and learning, so everyone understands that learning is good for themselves and for their own daily work.

Captain Thoại was born in 1981 and is of Lao ethnicity. Born in Muong Và commune, Captain Thoại understands the lifestyle and culture of the people here. Captain Thoại joined the army in February 2002 and is currently working at the Mass Mobilization Team of Nam Lãnh Border Post. Since March 2019, Captain Thoại has started his work in eliminating illiteracy in Pa Kach village, Muong Lan commune. From 2022, this class will be expanded to many other villages in Nam Lãnh and Muong Và communes of Sop Cop district.

Literacy class taught by green-uniformed teacher Lo Van Thoai

"Nam Lanh and Muong Va are border localities with rugged terrain, difficult roads, low educational level of the people, and underdeveloped economy, especially in the border villages. During a working trip in 2022 to Muong Va commune, we went to Pa Khoang village, about 20 km from the commune center. Here, the illiteracy rate of the people is very high, backward customs, and early marriage is still common. I want to teach the people to read and write, to write their names, to read newspapers, to know how to do household economics, and to apply scientific advances to production labor" - Captain Thoai said about the reason for opening the literacy class that is being maintained in Pa Khoang village.

From these concerns, Captain Thoai worked with the local Party Committee and authorities to obtain a list of illiterate and re-illiterate people in the village, then advised the Party Committee and unit commander to coordinate with the district education and training department to open this special class.

Captain Thoại recalled: "At first, it was very difficult to persuade people to come to class because they were the main workers, had to take care of the fields, and were busy all year round. It took a while to propagate and go to each house to persuade people to come to class. From 8 students, now many people volunteer to join the class. Having knowledge makes people very happy."

Raising public awareness

Sharing his experience in eliminating illiteracy, Captain Thoại said that he has applied the motto of 4 together: eating together, living together, working together and speaking the ethnic language together to have a suitable and effective teaching method. From not knowing letters and numbers, after a while, they can read, write by themselves, and save the names of relatives in their phones. Many people realize that learning to read and write not only helps them read and understand books but also helps a lot in their daily lives such as: paying attention to studying, taking care of their children's health, knowing how to raise livestock for economic purposes and being more confident in communication... Thanks to knowledge and understanding, people's awareness of protecting security and order, protecting border sovereignty is also increasingly enhanced.

Captain Lo Van Thoai (in uniform, front row) was honored in the program "Sharing with teachers" in 2024. (Photo provided by the character)

In addition to eliminating illiteracy, Captain Thoai is also considered a cultural warrior, actively propagating laws, such as the Law on Marriage and Family for people in border areas. According to Captain Thoai, in ethnic minority villages, children at the age of 13 - 14 get married and have many children despite economic difficulties. Not only that, the situation of incestuous marriage is also common, causing many children to be born without the best physical condition.

"When coming to class, people are exposed to knowledge about marriage - family, health, and medicine, so their awareness has gradually changed. They do not urge their children to get married early, thanks to which the rate of early marriage has decreased, only about 1% - 2%; there is no longer incestuous marriage, people care more about physical health and mental life" - Captain Thoai boasted.

Thanks to these literacy classes, many people have been able to search for agricultural technical documents on the internet to apply to agricultural production. A typical example is Ms. Giang Thi Pa De - Head of the Women's Association of Pa Khoang village.

Ms. Giang Thi Pa De shared: "Before, because I was illiterate, I had to ask others to write applications, but now I can do it myself. In addition to actively participating in social work, I also know how to sell products online, thanks to which I have more income to take care of my children. Everyone here loves teacher Thoai because he has helped dozens of people learn to read and write."

For 23 years wearing the green uniform to protect the country's borders, Captain - professional soldier Lo Van Thoai is considered a shining example of border guards, helping people to destroy "ignorance" and build a new life.

With his contributions, Captain Lo Van Thoai received 2 certificates of merit from the Ministry of Education and Training; was 1 of 60 teachers honored in the program "Sharing with teachers" in 2017 and 2024 organized by the Vietnam Youth Union in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Training, and Thien Long Group.

Captain Lo Van Thoai expressed: "I am very touched when people affectionately call me "teacher Thoai" or "teacher in green uniform". This gives me more motivation to teach and guide people in economic activities, contributing to building and protecting villages in border areas".

Source: https://nld.com.vn/geo-chu-o-vung-cao-196250412213405874.htm