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 works diligently in "popular education" classes. Photo: Provided by the character

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

Starting from a difficult place

Muong Lan Border Guard Station is in charge of 16 villages and 2 residential areas, mostly inhabited by Mong ethnic people. Illiteracy is very common here, and backward customs are still deeply ingrained in life. Faced with this situation, Captain Thoai proposed opening an illiteracy eradication class 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 to explain the benefits of knowing how to read and write. Seeing that this approach was not effective, the Captain applied the “4 together” principle: eating together, living together, working together, and speaking the ethnic language together, to create closeness. Thanks to his dedication, he gradually persuaded people to come to class.

Despite not having any formal training in teaching, Captain Thoai 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 become much more excited, ” he said. To keep students interested, he always creates interesting lectures.

During the day, the Captain was on duty 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 knew how to read and write. From then on, the class grew in number, and the number of graduates steadily increased.

Continuing the journey of knowledge

In early 2022, Captain Thoai took up a position at Nam Lanh Border Guard Station, in charge of two communes, Nam Lanh and Muong Va. This is an area with many difficulties, with illiteracy, re-illiteracy, and child 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 many efforts, the number increased to 24 people, from 14 to 45 years old. Students not only know how to read and write, but also learn how to save the names of relatives on their phones. Many people realize that learning helps them improve their lives, understand books, take care of their health, do business , and be more confident in communication.

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

Captain Thoai 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, not only protecting the border area, but also paving 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