In the evening, the literacy class of Captain Lo Van Thoai, the "teacher in a military uniform" (Nam Lanh Border Guard Post, Son La Provincial Border Guard), lights up, echoing with the voices of students of various ages, from 14 to 60, reading aloud.

For more than two years now, thanks to Mr. Thoai's literacy class, the lives of people in Muong Va commune (Sop Cop district, Son La province) have changed significantly.​

Teacher Lo Van Thoai's literacy class

Sharing about the process of opening literacy classes, Mr. Lo Van Thoai said that at the beginning of 2022, following a deployment decision from the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command, he was assigned to work at the Nam Lanh Border Guard Station, which manages the two communes of Nam Lanh and Muong Va. These two communes have harsh geographical locations, difficult roads, low levels of education, and slow economic development, especially in the border villages.

“Given the situation, as a member of the Community Mobilization Team, and wanting to contribute my small efforts to help the people develop economically, culturally, and socially, during a work trip in 2022 to Muong Va commune, my teammates and I went to Pa Khoang village, about 20km from the commune center. Initially, we thought it would only take about 40-50 minutes to get there, but then we waded through streams and climbed mountain passes for more than two hours to reach the village. That was on a sunny day; if it rained, it would be practically impossible to get in or out.”

"After spending two days in Pá Khoang, we realized that the area still faces many difficulties, especially in terms of transportation, economy, culture, and society... The recurring illiteracy, child marriage, and consanguineous marriage... constantly trouble me, making me wonder how to help the people here learn to read, write their names, read newspapers, learn household economic methods, apply scientific advancements to labor and production, and stabilize their lives," Mr. Thoại shared.

Based on those thoughts, Mr. Thoai believed that for the villagers to change their lives, literacy was the first priority. With this in mind, Mr. Thoai boldly proposed reviewing and compiling a list of cases of relapse into illiteracy and illiteracy in the village. He also advised the Party committee and unit commanders to coordinate with the Sop Cop District Department of Education and Training to open literacy classes in Pa Khoang village.

Teachers also have to learn how to be teachers.

Recounting the early days of establishing the class, Mr. Thoai still cannot forget the difficulties he faced. The most challenging was persuading students to attend. For many days, Mr. Thoai had to persistently go to each house, persuading each person to come to class. Even when students did attend, some dropped out midway. At those times, Mr. Thoai had to trek through the forest and wade through streams to each house, doing motivational work to convince the people to pursue literacy.

The students in Mr. Lo Van Thoai's literacy class are of various ages.

Teacher Thoai's literacy class has students of various ages, many of whom are the primary breadwinners in their families and work in the fields during the day, so the class has to be held in the evenings.

After more than two years of campaigning and recruitment, the class, which initially had 7-8 students, now has 24 participants aged 14-60.

Although he teaches classes in the evenings, Mr. Lo Van Thoai's duties remain those of a border guard, a soldier who lacks formal pedagogical training. Mr. Thoai recounts that in the early days of opening literacy classes, he himself had to learn and read on his own to acquire teaching skills.

"In the early days of teaching, I also faced many difficulties because the students hadn't held a pen for a long time and were of different ages. Sometimes I had to hold their hands to help them write the letters 'e', ​​'a'... especially when learning to combine letters and syllables..."

"But with the motto 'eat together, live together, work together, and speak the ethnic language together,' I searched for and researched materials and teaching methods to find the most suitable ones," Mr. Thoai recounted.

Bringing literacy to illuminate the borderlands.

Through his tireless efforts, working as a border guard during the day and teaching literacy classes in the evenings, Mr. Lo Van Thoai has brought about significant changes for the people of Muong Va. Previously, the students were illiterate, unable to read or write, and had great difficulty using mobile phones. They didn't know how to save their relatives' names, and whenever they needed help with family matters, they had to walk kilometers to ask relatives for assistance.

After attending Mr. Thoai's class, the students can now read, write, save relatives' names on their phones, and are increasingly enjoying attending class. The people of Muong Va have also realized that learning to read and write not only helps them understand books and texts but also greatly benefits their daily lives, including taking care of their children's health, learning about livestock farming for economic purposes, and becoming more confident in communication...

 

In addition to teaching literacy, during lessons and extracurricular programs, Mr. Thoai regularly incorporates content promoting adherence to the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, and the local government's economic, cultural, and social development plans. He also disseminates knowledge of law, security, and national defense, so that the people are aware of the schemes and tactics of hostile forces and malicious elements who often exploit ethnic and religious issues to undermine the Party, the State, and local Party committees and authorities.

With particular concern for the issue of child marriage, teacher Lo Van Thoai always focuses on campaigning and raising awareness to change people's perceptions.

Teacher Thoai's literacy class not only helps people learn to read and write, but also changes their perceptions, pushes back against outdated customs, and develops family economies.

“Previously, almost every family in the village practiced child marriage; boys and girls got married and had children as young as 13. Each family had 4-5 children, each born only 1-2 years apart. Child marriage and consanguineous marriage not only affected health and the gene pool but also hindered economic and social development, causing perpetual hardship for the villagers. Since attending school and gaining knowledge, people have gradually changed their perceptions, and the rate of child marriage has now decreased significantly, to only about 1-2%. People are more concerned about their children's health, education, and economic activities,” Mr. Thoai happily shared.

Outside of class time, teacher Thoai still guides the people on how to cultivate fields effectively and how to raise livestock to develop the economy.

Among the students he taught, Mr. Lo Van Thoai was particularly impressed with Ms. Giang Thi Pa De. Ms. De was illiterate and didn't want to go to school. Her husband was serving time in a re-education camp for drug trafficking, and every time she went to visit him, she had to rely on someone who could read to take her because she didn't know how to sign for the visit or know the room number.

After being persistently encouraged by Mr. Thoai, and realizing the benefits of learning to read and write, Ms. Giang Thi Pa De decided to attend the class. After 9 months of study, Ms. De could read and write fluently and continuously strived for success in local activities and movements. Currently, Ms. Giang Thi Pa De is the Head of the Women's Association in Nam Lan village, Muong Lan commune. She also actively encourages illiterate people to attend Mr. Lo Van Thoai's class.

"Since learning to read and write, I've been able to apply my knowledge to economic development, farming, and livestock raising, as well as learning how to sell goods online, which has brought in a better income and improved my family's economic situation," said Ms. Giang Thi Pa De.

In Muong Va, almost everyone knows Captain Lo Van Thoai. The locals still affectionately call this border guard soldier "Teacher Thoai" or "Teacher Thoai".

Working in a challenging area, but for Mr. Thoai, witnessing the daily changes in the lives of the people, as well as receiving the affection from his students, is the greatest motivation for him to continue staying in the remote village, carrying literacy to the mountains and helping the people develop socio-economic conditions.

With his unwavering dedication, Captain Lo Van Thoai, the "teacher in military uniform," has received numerous commendations and certificates of merit from the District Department of Education and Training and the District People's Committee; certificates of merit from the Son La Provincial Department of Education and Training and the Son La Provincial Association for the Promotion of Learning. In 2023, Captain Lo Van Thoai was recognized as an Advanced Soldier/Command of the Son La Provincial Border Guard. In 2024, Teacher Thoai was also one of the exemplary teachers honored in the "Sharing with Teachers" program jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union.

Source: vov.vn