Learning the local language to strengthen the relationship between the army and the people

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - With the motto of listening to people, speaking for people to understand and making people believe, the Thanh Hoa Border Guard Command has opened many ethnic minority language classes for officers and professional soldiers working in border areas. These classes are called close-to-people classes, because they help soldiers understand more about the lives and culture of the people, thereby doing a good job of mobilizing people to participate in economic development and border protection.

A Mong ethnic language training class for Border Guard officers and soldiers working in the province's border areas.

Thanh Hoa province has 213km of border with Laos. In the highland and border communes of the province such as Muong Ly, Pu Nhi, Quang Chieu, Ten Tan... the people are mainly Mong, Thai, Kho Mu ethnic groups. Meanwhile, many young officers and soldiers who take up their duties at border posts often do not know or are not fluent in the local ethnic languages, reducing the effectiveness of mobilization and limiting the ability of officers and soldiers to integrate into the community life.

At Pu Nhi Border Guard Station, there is a special class where the teacher is the Deputy Political Commissar who is also a son of the Mong people, and the students are officers in the unit. They learn the Mong language together.

Major Bui Xuan Ngai, Political Commissar of Pu Nhi Border Guard Station, said: “Nearly 80% of the local population is Mong. To understand the people, be close to the people, and do our job well, we have determined that we must do a good job of training and improving knowledge of ethnic languages. Organizing language classes creates conditions for cadres to go to the locality to communicate with the people, thereby propagating policies to the people, helping them understand and implement them. The class has been held twice a week since 2023. Currently, the unit has more than 10 comrades who speak Mong very well.”

In Muong Ly commune, which used to be a "hot spot" for illegal migration and child marriage, thanks to knowing the Mong language, border guards went to each house and met each person to mobilize and explain to the people about the consequences of illegal migration and child marriage, so now this situation has significantly decreased. Officers and soldiers of Pu Nhi Border Guard Station, thanks to learning and knowing the Mong language, sang Mong songs with the Mong people, read Mong books and even... read folk tales in their language. These seemingly simple activities have a strong influence in the community. People trust and actively coordinate with the Border Guard in patrolling, protecting forests and maintaining security and order.

Ms. Thao Thi Ho in Pu Nhi commune shared: "The soldiers can speak the local language so the propaganda is easy for the people to understand. The elderly and women who have little education can also understand the propaganda content of the soldiers for the people."

Proficiency in the language has helped the soldiers in green uniforms get closer to the people and they have “listened to the people, told them so they could understand and made them believe”. Since then, propaganda activities and mobilizing people to change crop structure, apply science and technology to develop household economy , and build new rural areas in border areas have become more effective.

A typical example is the high-yield cassava growing model of Mr. Ho Van Lau's family in Com village, Pu Nhi commune. In a solid stilt house, sitting next to the tea table, in the corner of the house are dozens of neatly arranged bags of upland rice, Mr. Lau excitedly said: "Since the day the army introduced rice cultivation and high-yield cassava cultivation, my family no longer has to worry about hunger. People feel secure following the army to develop the economy."

It is known that in the period of 2023-2024, the Thanh Hoa Border Guard Command coordinated with Hong Duc University to organize training courses for nearly 100 cadres, civil servants, public employees and Border Guard officers. Thanks to that, many cadres working at border posts such as Ten Tan, Pu Nhi, Muong Ly, Quang Chieu... have gradually improved their communication skills in Mong language, creating closeness and trust with the people. After the course, many cadres were able to apply the language well in propaganda work, explaining policies and laws; at the same time, supporting people in specific situations such as medical examination and treatment, preventing child marriage, preventing illegal migration, maintaining security and order in villages and hamlets.

On the journey to protect every inch of the Fatherland's frontier, the soldiers in green uniforms not only carry dry food, backpacks and guns, but also bring along affectionate words in ethnic languages. This is a vivid proof of the strong affection between the army and the people, between the voice of the heart and the sacred responsibility to the country.

Article and photos: Hoang Lan

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hoc-tieng-dong-bao-nbsp-de-them-that-chat-tinh-quan-dan-260144.htm