Bringing literacy to our compatriots.

From evening classes organized and taught by officers and soldiers of the Border Guard Command and the Provincial Military Command of Son La, hundreds of ethnic minority people in Son La province have now escaped the "dark zone" of knowledge. Knowing how to read and write, they have become more confident in developing their family economies and building happy and prosperous lives.

During the cold winter days in Muong Lan border commune ( Son La province), the literacy class for the Mong ethnic group in Nong Phu village remains lit. Having started in April 2024, the class with 28 students has now entered its second phase. The goal is for the students to reach the 5th grade level by the end of the course.

Recalling the early days of opening the classes, Lieutenant Colonel Tong Van Xum, an officer at the Muong Lan Border Guard Post, said: “Through propaganda and mobilization, the people understood the benefits of literacy, so when they heard that the unit was organizing literacy classes right in the village, they were very eager and actively registered to participate. There were even elderly people who longed to learn to read and write because they had suffered many disadvantages and limitations in social communication due to not knowing how to read and write.”

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tong Van Xum, the literacy class in Nong Phu village has many students who, despite their difficult circumstances, always demonstrate a strong spirit of striving for excellence in their studies. For example, Song A Chang's father passed away early, his mother remarried, and his younger sister recently died. Yet, Chang always arrives on time, listens attentively to the lectures, and asks the teacher questions about anything he doesn't understand or finds difficult to remember right in class.

Officers from the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command instruct local people on how to write.

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Recognizing the meaningful mission of being a "military-uniformed teacher," Lieutenant Colonel Tong Van Xum and his colleagues are always dedicated and responsible in their teaching. They regularly learn from the experience and teaching methods of teachers in schools around the area to increase the effectiveness of each class. Furthermore, these "military-uniformed teachers" are creative, applying many other visual teaching methods such as bringing scales, corn, and cassava to class to teach calculations, using practical examples to help the villagers understand easily. Ms. Giang Thi De from Pha Thoong village, Sop Cop commune – a former student of the class opened by the Nam Lanh Border Guard Post – shared: “The border guard teachers have many easy-to-understand teaching methods, thanks to which I learned to read faster and could communicate with more people.”

In the border areas of Son La province, the lives of a segment of the population remain very difficult, with low levels of education and a high number of illiterate and re-illiterate people. Illiteracy limits access to social knowledge for economic development and livelihoods. Due to illiteracy and lack of understanding, many people are lured by unscrupulous individuals, and some are even deceived into signing land transaction documents by simply signing with their fingerprints without realizing it. Based on this reality, and aiming to gradually help the people access knowledge and apply science and technology to production, the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command annually collaborates with local authorities to compile a list of illiterate people. Based on this, the unit cooperates with local authorities and the education sector to develop plans to open literacy classes in border villages and hamlets. The locations for these classes are chosen to ensure the most convenient access for the students.

From 2021 to the present, the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command has opened 19 literacy classes for 620 students. The Son La Provincial Border Guard Command has also selected and assigned dozens of capable, experienced, and skilled border guard officers to participate in teaching. Besides teaching literacy, the soldiers also guide the local people on communication skills, proper use of social media, and provide advice on developing household economies. Through discussions and observations, we found that most students are very eager to learn and want to improve their lives. Ms. Song Thi Song from Pu Hao village, Sop Cop commune, confided: “Ignorance is very difficult, so even though my children are young, I was determined to learn to read and write from the soldiers. Now that I know how to read and write, I no longer hesitate when dealing with administrative procedures…”

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Thanks to literacy classes organized and directly taught by officers from the Son La Provincial Border Guard Command, most people living in border areas can now read, write, and do basic arithmetic. Literacy gives people the opportunity to access knowledge, expand their social relationships and interactions, and become more confident and assertive in applying science and technology to production to improve their quality of life.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/xa-hoi/dan-toc-ton-giao/chinh-sach-phat-trien/mang-con-chu-den-voi-dong-bao-1019358