Border guards and their passion for "bringing" literacy to the Mong ethnic people in the highland border areas

Trung Ly is a disadvantaged commune of Muong Lat district, Thanh Hoa province. The commune has 15 villages, of which 11 are inhabited by Mong ethnic people; the rate of illiteracy is high; the educational level of the people is low; the number of poor households accounts for over 57% of the commune's population. In recent years, Trung Ly Border Guard Station has actively coordinated with local authorities at all levels to implement many programs and activities, including consulting on solutions to improve people's knowledge and living conditions very effectively. In recent years, the education sector has paid attention to universalizing age-appropriate education in border areas. However, for many different reasons, there are many people who do not have the opportunity to go to class and are illiterate, so Border Guard officers and soldiers, with their responsibility and affection, have stepped in and opened literacy classes. Their work contributes to improving people's knowledge and living conditions in border areas.

With the passion to bring knowledge to the Mong ethnic people in remote and border areas, for many years, Captain Ho Van Di, a mass mobilization officer at Trung Ly Border Guard Station, Thanh Hoa Border Guard has always overcome difficulties and tirelessly brought literacy to the Mong ethnic people in Trung Ly border commune, Muong Lat district, Thanh Hoa province. Thereby, helping people grasp the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, access science and technology in production labor, and build a prosperous life.

For over a month, when the forest was plunged into darkness, the literacy class led by Captain Ho Van Di at the Pa Búa Primary School began to light up. The 45 students of the literacy class were mostly women from Pa Búa village, Trung Ly commune, of different ages, some were grandmothers, carrying their grandchildren to school, some were children sitting next to their grandmothers, dozing off, and some were swaying with their slings on their shoulders to the rhythm of their mother's spelling... "Green uniform teacher" Di, with his calm demeanor, came to each student to give his lesson in detail and enthusiastically. Some he taught in the common language, but in many cases he had to explain in the ethnic language. As has become customary, the students all showed self-awareness and seriousness in the learning process.

Head of the Pa Bua Village Women's Association, Thao Thi Xenh, a student of the literacy class, shared: The Border Guard officers allowed her to visit neighboring villages. Seeing that the women had learned to read and write with Mr. Di, they knew how to do business , were hired by companies, and had a stable income, so the Village Management Board invited Mr. Di to teach the women in the village how to read and write.

Captain Ho Van Di propagates, disseminates and educates about the law at a literacy class for women's union members and people of Kham 2 village, Trung Ly commune, Muong Lat district. Photo: Quoc Toan.

Born and raised in the border homeland of Muong Lat, after finishing high school, Di joined the Border Guard. In 2006, he was transferred to work at Trung Ly Border Guard Station. With the task of being a mass mobilization officer, he and the unit's officers and soldiers overcame difficulties, implemented "three sticking, four together", closely connected with the ethnic people; actively stood side by side, advised the local government to consolidate and build political bases; guided and helped people develop the economy, stabilize their lives. During the process of living in the village and connecting with the people, Di realized that one of the reasons why his ethnic people were backward and poor was the lack of literacy. He confided that illiteracy makes people passive and difficult to integrate into the community, without knowledge to apply in life, leading to backwardness and poverty. Besides, it is easy to be deceived, taken advantage of, bribed, and lured into doing illegal things by bad people. Based on the above reality, he advised the Party Committee and Commander of Trung Ly Border Guard Station to coordinate with the People's Committee of Trung Ly commune to open literacy classes in Mong villages in the area.

He researched for himself a way of propaganda that was close, easy to understand and close to reality: Now, everywhere was changing, our people also needed to know how to read and write so that they wouldn't have to worry about food every day, so that they could have enough food and clothing, so that they could grow corn and rice without pests and achieve high productivity, raise buffaloes, cows and pigs to grow quickly, and raise good children. Knowing how to read and write so that they wouldn't be deceived by bad people.

Captain Ho Van Di carefully teaches each letter to women's union members and people of Pa Bua village, Trung Ly commune, Muong Lat district. Photo: Quoc Toan

Just like that, from the dedication, affection, with the cooperation of comrades, teammates and sectors, levels, local authorities, speaking the truth, in accordance with the feelings, "slow and steady wins the race"..., the class of Trung Ly Border Guard Station was formed, people invited each other to come to learn to read and write with teacher Di. In 2022 and 2023 alone, Captain Ho Van Di and officers and soldiers of Trung Ly Border Guard Station successfully opened 2 literacy classes with a total of 58 students in Kham 1 and Kham 2 villages. And the class in Pa Bua village is the 3rd literacy class that he directly taught.

Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Ngoc Binh, Head of Trung Ly Border Guard Station, said: Through literacy classes, we have organized propaganda for people to understand the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, and scientific and technical knowledge applied in production and economic development; abolish backward customs such as early marriage, incestuous marriage, and perform weddings and funerals according to the new lifestyle; propagate legal regulations related to religious activities so that people can grasp, understand deeply, and not promote, participate in illegal religious activities and propaganda. There are many officers at the unit who can teach classes, but Captain Ho Van Di volunteered to teach literacy, because Di is a Mong ethnic, in addition to his emotional closeness, work experience, and prestige with his compatriots, Di also wants to contribute his efforts to the change of his homeland./.

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