On 20 December 1993, the Centre for National Defence and Security Education under the Military School of Military Region 5 was established and tasked with managing and educating national defence and security for students in Da Nang. Since 2018, according to the decision of higher echelons, the School has taken responsibility for national defence and security education for students in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Dak Lak. Throughout the last 30 years, adhering to the leadership and direction of Military Region 5’s Party Committee and High Command, Council for National Defence and Security Education, and the Military Region’s functional agencies, the School has closely coordinated with affiliated schools to perform the education for students. It has become one of the top centres for national defence and security education throughout the country. As of October 2023, it has held 344 courses for over 337.500 students with a remarkable success rate of 99.89% of students receiving certificates. Among them, more than 67% have achieved high performance, which contributes to fostering patriotism and socialist ideology and providing essential knowledge about national defence and security, along with necessary military skills for the cause of national construction and defence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the School made every endeavour to accomplish a “dual task” which is to prepare quarantine areas for citizens and accomplish online national defence and security education for students as planned. This effort received high praise from the Military Region, party committees, and local authorities. In recognition of its achievements, the Centre was awarded the Second-class Fatherland Protection Order in 2013, Third-class Fatherland Protection Order in 2007 by the State, Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister in 2011 and numerous prestigious awards from the Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Education and Training, and High Command of Military Region 5. To achieve the above-mentioned outcomes, the Centre has always taken the initiative to overcome all challenges and regularly renovate and improve the quality of education with synchronous and effective measures.

Review conference on defence and security education in the area in 2020-2021 period

First and foremost, the School’s Party Committee and Board have strengthened their leadership and direction over this pivotal task with multiple measures and targets. Thoroughly grasping and effectively performing the documents of higher echelons on national defence and security education across the board, the School has concentrated on stabilising the organisation and structure of the centre; issuing numerous documents and concretising this task in accordance with the actual situations, regulations, and task requirements; assigning its agencies and faculties to manage and administer national defence and security education for students in accordance with the functions and tasks. The school has effectively conducted work in improving awareness and responsibility for the party committees, commanders of agencies, faculties, and units involved in this task. Additionally, it has coordinated with affiliated schools to develop curriculum plans and prepare to manage students and promptly address any issues. After each course, the School has directed its agencies, faculties, and units to organise democratic dialogue sessions with students and after-action reviews to evaluate the achievements and shortcomings so that the causes can be detected and solutions can be proposed, which aims to constantly enhance the quality of national defence and security education for students.

Second, stepping up the renovation of contents and teaching and learning methods. On the foundation of the available contents and curriculum, the School has regularly updated and promptly incorporated the new points in national defence and security into the teaching contents; stepped up the renewal of teaching and testing methods; brought into full play students’ autonomy and creativity in accordance with the motto “real teaching, real learning, and real evaluation”, which takes the teaching and learning quality and effectiveness as the top criterion. Due to the peculiarity of the subject and limited time, the demand for the renovation of teaching and learning methods is higher. Thus, the School has selected and assigned lecturers with qualifications, experience, and good pedagogical competence to teach this subject. The focus has been placed on enhancing the quality of lessons to balance input knowledge with the distribution of each lesson and the timeframe of the course; ensuring three criteria for each lesson which comprise active teaching methods, electronic lesson plans, and mind maps. The School has also accelerated the application of information technology for research, collection of information, compilation of electronic lesson plans, simulation of combat situations, techniques, and tactics, etc. to enhance visual appeal and vividness through pictures and short videos.

During the teaching process, the School has emphasised the use of various integrated teaching methods in each lesson. There is a focus on the flexible and creative application of active teaching methods and learner-centred approach to surmount the one-way knowledge transfer approach, increase interaction between lecturers and students, and bring into play the active role and autonomy of students during the learning process. Concerning practice contents that require the standardisation of skills, techniques, tactics, and close coordination of each individual, group, section, and detachment, the School has combined traditional teaching methods with presenting practical experience, innovative situations, and detailed application in actual combat situations; persistently corrected mistakes to achieve the best results and ensure absolute safety. For the result assessment, the School advocates avoiding virtual achievements and resolutely “saying no to negativity in exams”. Accordingly, the School has perfected the test bank for this subject and regularly updated the new contents. The School has also directed its agencies and faculties to organise strict examinations and thorough actual result assessments and resolutely handle negative behaviours, violations and cheating in learning and exams.

Mine clearance training for students of Dong A University

In addition, the School has concentrated on renovating the management and training methods to stimulate students’ initiative and creativity in the application of theory into practice and the adoption of theory through practice. The focus has also been put on combining education, task dissemination, the building of determination, self-awareness, and responsibility with maintaining and managing in accordance with military regulations right from the beginning of the courses so that students can quickly adapt to the military environment, fostering organisational, disciplinary, and regular conduct. This constitutes a crucial criterion in assessing the results of each student. The School has regularly paid attention to the building of an “exemplary, regular, and friendly” pedagogic cultural environment; promoted the role model of cadres at all levels to establish wholesome and long-standing relationships within the unit. Additionally, the School and the Directorate of the Centre have regularly organised extra-curricular activities for students so that they can quickly fall in line with the environment and integrate learning with practice, which contributes to improving the quality of education and training at the School.

Third, enhancing the quality of the cadres and teaching staff to meet all task requirements. This pivotal factor determines the quality of national defence and security education at the Centre both in the short term and long term. This has also been a crucial content in the structuring of cadres and lecturers for years. Accordingly, on the foundation of practice, the School has always led and directed the implementation of the planning and cultivation of cadres and lecturers by furthering their study and improving their qualifications. The School also emphasises a comprehensive approach, combining personnel restructuring with competence cultivation while setting high standards for cadres and lecturers in charge.

At the same time, the School has regularly maintained on-site training in combination with sending cadres and lecturers to training courses organised by the Department of National Defence and Security Education, under the Ministry of Education and Training. Pedagogical activities, class attendance, teaching evaluation and competition have been intensified so that the cadres and lecturers can exchange experience and improve their teaching methods. Annually, the organisation of competition for good lecturers and good cadres constitutes an essential approach to enhancing their competencies across the board. Simultaneously, they have been encouraged to study and update new knowledge and content on national defence and security. As a result, they become self-aware of training and improving pedagogical competence, qualifications and methods and strive for extensive professional expertise and exemplary lifestyles and manners. All of the cadres and lecturers in charge of teaching the subject have a university degree or higher; more than 30% of which hold postgraduate qualifications.

Fourth, investing in facilities for national defence and security education and step-by-step modernising teaching and learning equipment. Annually, together with the allocated budget, the School has proactively mobilised resources to purchase teaching and learning equipment, documents, models and tools; renovate lecture halls and training fields, especially install the TB95 practice shooting machine and the software on the MBT03 practice shooting device to test AK submachine gun, upgrade the computer system, projector in classrooms, etc. to satisfy the demanding requirements of national defence and security education. The research movements have been effectively promoted in parallel with improving educational models with many innovative applications. The infrastructure barracks have also been invested in, constructed, and upgraded by the school while ensuring an adequate and synchronous supply of uniforms, shared materials, cultural institutions, recreational areas, sports playgrounds, internet reading rooms, etc. to cater for the material and spiritual lives for students during their study and training at the School.

The outcomes and experiences throughout 30 years of performing national defence and security education for students function as the foundation and momentum for the Military School of Military Region 5 in general and specifically for the Centre for National Defence and Security Education in Da Nang to strive for further improvement in the quality of national defence and security education for students in the current context.

Senior Colonel HUYNH DON, Principal of the Military School, Director of the Centre for National Defence and Security Education in Da Nang