From an illiterate 12-year-old boy to a soldier and a military teacher in a green uniform.

The border guard classes, which were started by the Muong Leo Border Guard Station in 2021 in the two villages of Huoi La and Huoi Luong, Muong Leo commune, have so far helped approximately 100 people of the Mong ethnic minority in the border region to eradicate illiteracy.

The Muong Leo Border Guard Post, located in Muong Leo commune, Sop Cop district, Son La province, is one of 10 border guard posts along the Vietnam-Laos border in Son La province. It is situated in a remote area with difficult transportation access. This is a highland, border region inhabited by the Mong, Thai, and Khmu ethnic groups. Besides those of school age, the majority of the population does not speak the common Vietnamese language, and illiteracy and relapses into illiteracy remain prevalent.

To contribute to strengthening and building a strong border area, gradually improving the education and socio-economic life of people in border regions, officers and soldiers of the Muong Leo Border Guard Post not only firmly hold their weapons to protect the border, but also proactively and actively coordinate with various sectors and localities to implement programs, projects, and movements, including literacy programs.

For many years, five times a week, the literacy class for officers and soldiers of the Muong Leo Border Guard Post, led by Major Ho A Thanh, has been held on the hillsides of the high-altitude border commune of Muong Leo. The class is mainly held in the evenings, after the villagers have finished their farming work. In the summer, the class starts earlier than in the winter. Major Ho A Thanh's literacy class has students of various ages and genders, many of whom bring their young children along to study and look after them at the same time. Therefore, Major Ho A Thanh has to choose teaching methods suitable for each group, while also incorporating cultural and artistic activities, combined with the dissemination of policies and laws, the elimination of outdated customs, and the promotion of a civilized lifestyle among the villagers. This creates enthusiasm for the villagers to attend class regularly, gradually stabilizing the class. Gradually, the villagers learned to read and write fluently, perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and showed many positive changes in their awareness and actions. To date, Major Hờ A Thành has directly taught five classes with over 100 students in Mường Lèo commune.

Outside of teaching hours, Major Hờ A Thành actively engages in self-study, self-improvement, and training, applying various methods and approaches to mobilizing the people to provide trainees with basic and essential knowledge and skills. This helps trainees initially develop general competencies and language skills in all areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening at a fundamental level. In addition, Major Hờ A Thành utilizes his free time to directly visit households to disseminate information and encourage people to strictly adhere to the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, and local regulations. He also advises on strengthening the activities of the village management board and guides the people in applying science and technology to develop the economy, culture, society, and village sanitation. To date, the people have gradually developed their economic activities, eliminating the nomadic and spontaneous farming practices.

Major Thanh diligently guides the trainees. (Photo: Provided by the interviewee)

Speaking about his journey to becoming a military teacher, Major Thanh smiled gently: “I was born and raised in Long Ke village, Huoi 1 commune, Song Ma district, a very remote and mountainous area. Back then, we didn't even have enough to eat, let alone go to school. It wasn't until I was 12 years old that my father allowed me to attend the Ethnic Minority Children's Boarding School in Song Ma town.”

Away from his family and living independently, whenever he had time off, the 12-year-old boy would walk nearly 30 kilometers through the forest to help his parents with farming. After finishing primary school, the young Hờ A Thành then applied to study at the Sơn La Provincial Boarding School, more than 100 kilometers from his home. Back then, transportation was difficult, so Thành and his friends mostly walked along mountain paths. Starting at 3 am, carrying three packets of rice and other food, they would rest whenever they got tired, arriving at school around 5 pm… That persistent journey shaped him into the soldier and teacher he is today…

Eradicating illiteracy so that the people can join the soldiers in guarding the nation's borders.

Since 2019, Captain Lo Van Thoai, a member of the Community Mobilization Team at Nam Lanh Border Guard Station, Son La Provincial Border Guard, has taken on an additional role: participating in literacy programs in many highland villages in Sop Cop district.

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 remote communes with extremely difficult road access. The local people have low levels of education and slow economic development, especially in the border villages.

“When we went to work in Pa Khoang village, Muong Va commune, even though it was about 20km from the commune center, we had to wade through streams and cross mountain passes for more than two hours 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.

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..."

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...

"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.

Previously in Muong Va commune (Sop Cop district, Son La province), most boys and girls married and had children as young as 13-14 years old. Early marriage plunged the lives of the people into perpetual illness and poverty. But thanks to the literacy class led by Captain Lo Van Thoai, people's awareness has changed, and today the rate of early marriage is only about 1-2%, and socio-economic life is gradually becoming more stable and developed. “Before, almost every family in the village had early marriages; boys and girls got married and had children as young as 13. Every family had 4-5 children, each only 1-2 years apart. Early marriage and consanguineous marriage not only affected health and lineage but also hindered economic and social development, causing perpetual hardship for the people. Now, people are paying more attention to their children's health, education, and economic activities,” Captain Thoai happily shared.

Soldiers in green uniforms at the "Sharing with Teachers 2024" program. (Photo: PV)

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, and her husband was serving time in a re-education camp for drug trafficking. Every time she went to visit her husband, she had to rely on someone who could read and write to accompany her because she didn't know how to sign for the visit or know the room number.

After being persistently encouraged by Mr. Thoai, Ms. Giang Thi Pa De decided to attend the class. After 9 months of study, Ms. De became proficient in reading and writing, and continuously strived to excel 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 have been able to apply much of my knowledge to economic development, farming, and livestock raising, as well as learning how to sell goods online, bringing in a better income and improving my family's economic life," Ms. Giang Thi Pa De said.

On the occasion of November 20th, along with many achievements that illuminated the border region, Major Ho A Thanh and Captain Lo Van Thoai were among 60 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.

Source: baophapluat.vn