Born and raised in Muong Va village, Sop Cop district, Captain Lo Van Thoai understands the difficult circumstances of his hometown people. In early 2022, following a deployment order from the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command, the soldier born in 1981 was assigned to work at the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post – a unit responsible for Nam Lanh and Muong Va communes. These are two very remote communes with extremely difficult roads. The local people have low levels of education and slow economic development, especially in the border villages.

A class session led by Captain Lo Van Thoai

"When we went to work in Pa Khoang village, Muong Va commune, even though it's about 20km from the commune center, it took us more than two hours of wading through streams and crossing mountain passes to get there. Here, illiteracy, relapses into illiteracy, and child marriage are quite common. Because of this, poverty continues to plague the area! I suddenly thought that we must eradicate illiteracy among the people to change the situation," Captain Lo Van Thoai shared.

Based on this idea, soldier Lo Van Thoai coordinated with the Party committee and officials in the village to review and compile a list of cases of relapse into illiteracy and illiteracy. He then advised the Party committee and unit commanders to coordinate with the Education and Training Department of Sop Cop district to open an illiteracy class in Pa Khoang village, and was assigned by the Party committee and unit commanders to directly teach the class.

Despite their determination and support, the "journey" for the people of Pá Khoang to attend classes remains fraught with challenges. "The illiterate and semi-illiterate individuals are primarily the main breadwinners in their families. During the day, they have to work, so classes have to be held in the evenings. After a hard day's work, their desire to rest is understandable. But through perseverance and persuasive arguments, the number of students has gradually grown from a handful to 24," said soldier Thoại.

With students ranging in age from 14 to 45, both young and old, and rarely holding a pen, Teacher Thoai's classes become even more challenging. "Even though they're not children, I still have to hold their hands, guide them through each stroke of the pen, and help them put letters and syllables together," the military officer recounted.

With the motto "Eat together, live together, work together, speak the ethnic language together," aiming to ensure that all students, upon attending class, can read, write fluently, and perform basic calculations... to reach the horizons of knowledge, Captain Lo Van Thoai has not hesitated to research and study appropriate teaching materials and methods. Understanding Captain Thoai's dedication, after more than 5 months of study, the students are able to read and write independently, and some even know how to use and exchange information on social media platforms...

Captain Lo Van Thoai received a Certificate of Commendation from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union at the "Sharing with Teachers" program in 2024.

"My students, who initially didn't know how to read or write, told me that literacy has helped them become more proactive in their studies, take care of their own health and that of their family members, develop their businesses more effectively, and become more confident in communication..."

In particular, during each class, this teacher in military uniform skillfully incorporated 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; disseminating knowledge of law, security, and national defense, so that the people would be aware of the schemes and tactics of hostile forces that exploit ethnic and religious issues to undermine the Party, the State, and local Party committees and authorities.

"I hope that my small contribution will help the trainees have better lives, contribute to building a more prosperous and beautiful homeland and village, and work together with the Border Guard to firmly protect national sovereignty and border security," Captain Thoai expressed.

For his contributions, Captain Lo Van Thoai has received numerous commendations from the Son La Provincial Department of Education and Training and the Son La Provincial Association for the Promotion of Learning, and has been awarded the title of Advanced Soldier of the Son La Provincial Border Guard. He is also one of the exemplary teachers honored in the "Sharing with Teachers" program in 2024, jointly organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, the Ministry of Education and Training, and Thien Long Group.

Cam Linh