Being a centre of training junior infantry command – staff officers for the whole army, the 1st Army College has regularly combined education with training; appreciated the transmission of combat experience and training reality; connected the college with the battlefields and units; considered the units’ combat ability as the measure to adjust and improve the quality of education and training.
On implementing the motto “The school’s training quality is the units’ combat readiness capacity”, in recent years, the 1st Army College has made many synchronous and effective solutions for renewing and improving the quality of training and scientific research, and gained some encouraging results. In the 2007-2022 period, together with many other participants, the College trained over 10,000 junior tertiary-level officers, who are in good quality, meeting the output standards and training targets of the College and requirements of units. However, there have still existed several weaknesses i.e. the contents and programmes of some subjects cannot keep up with the development of reality; some lecturers’ teaching methods have been renovated slowly; the knowledge and ability, especially the practice ability, creativity and soft skills, of parts of graduates have been limited, etc.
Presently, the serious effects of the digital technology and the artificial intelligence have pose new requirements for the task of safeguarding the Fatherland, requiring the cadres in general, the junior infantry command – staff officers in particular to acquire comprehensice knowledge, good skills and sharp thinking, especially the ability of discovering and solving problems araising in their management, command, training and combat to quickly adjust to the changes of tasks, weapons and equipment. On clearly understanding this issue, the College’s Party Committee and Director Board have paid attention to improving the training quality with several synchronous, scientific and suitable solutions.
Firstly, strengthening the leadership and direction, bringing into play the responsibility and action determination of organisations and forces in the task of education and training. On thoroughly grapsing resolutions and ditections by the Central Military Commission, Ministry of National Defence on education and training, especially Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW, dated 20 December 2022 on renewing the education and training to meet the task requirement of building the Army in the new situation, the College’s Party Committee has issued Resolution No. 77-NQ/ĐU, dated 15 March 2023 on leading the renovation of education and training to meet the task requirement of building the College in the new situation. The focus is to make basic and comprehensive changes in quality and effectiveness of education and training, assuring that after graduation, cadets have stable political spirit, knowledge, good health and suitable skills, and the ability of self-study, research, renovation, creativity, adaptation, etc. In the implementation, the College’s Party Committee and Director Board have directly directed the party committees and commands of offices and units to grasp and make plans to implement the resolutions, and assign the committee members to take responsibility for directing, managing and operating stages of the education and training process; directed offices and units to help build and carry out the programmes and plans; guided and inspected the grasp and implementation of the resolutions, especially the leadership and direction by all-level party committees and commands on this important issue, at the same time, enhanced the inspection and supervision; regularly made summaries to draw experience and adjust the activities at any stage to make sure the defined direction and progress.
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| New academic year parade at the 1st Army College |
Secondly, strongly renovating the training processes, programmes, contents and teaching methods to meet the real requirements of training and combat readiness of units. On closely following the Project of “Renovating the training processes and programmes for all-level cadres in the Army to meet the task requirements in the new situation” by the Ministry of National Defence, the College has periodically adjusted and completed the output standards suitably with the training reality and combat readiness of units, on this basis, directed the functional offices to collect feedback on the graduated cadets’ working quality and the training contents and programmes; checked and adjusted the contents and programmes in the way of reducing the theories, increasing the cadets’ practice, probation in units and self-study; assured the logicality of each subject and course. The College has appreciated the political and ideological education, the military technical and art development, the application of detachment-level tactics in modern warfare, professional knowledge and skills of the party and political work, the state management knowedge of military affairs, national defence, economy, society, law, foreign languages, IT and other essential skills. Besides, the College has promoted specific talks, scientific information, transmission of experience and soft skills by leaders, commanders and scientists to cadets. Regarding the forms and methods, the College has applied methods to optimise the teaching-studying process; gradually transformed from teaching knowledge to combining the teaching of knowledge, skills and thinking methods; promoted the IT application, the simulation technology particularly to increase the visuality, training and combat practicality; brought into play the roles of lecturers and managing cadres in guiding, maintaining and controlling the self-study; encouraged the cadets’ activeness in their self-studying and training. To be effective, the College has directed offices and units to actively collect, exchange and share experience; conduct the methodological and extracurricular activities, contests and competitions; closely combined the theories and practice, techniques and tactics, regulations and physical fitness, studying and training the posture, manner and methods of commanders, etc. to comprehensively develop the quality, competence and mentality for cadets. Together, the College has drastically transformed from assessing knowledge and skills to assessing learners’ competence, from the assessment of end-of-course test results to the regular and periodical assessment after each lesson and topic in order to increase the direct feedback and quickly adjust the teaching-learning process; flexibly evaluated the cadets’ competence with many forms, methods and contents to make sure the “real teaching, real learning and real assessment”.
Thirdly, enhancing the consolidation and development of lecturers and educational administrators towards standardisation. On closely following the Project of “Building the contingent of lecturers and educational administrators in the Army in the 2023-2030 period and the following years”, also the targets of Resolution No. 77-NQ/ĐU, the College has built Resolution No. 115-NQ/ĐU, dated 27 September 2023 on leading the construction of the contingent of lecturers and educational administrators in the 2023-2030 period and the following years, focusing on building these forces which have enough quantity, appropriate age, comprehensive competence, standardised knowledge, exemplary working manners and methods in all fields, etc. On this basis, the College has built schedules and plans, and paid attention to appointment, assignment and rotation; combined the transfer and extension of service age and selection of excellent graduates, cadres having high skills and experience, etc., making sure the quality, quantity and structure; thoroughly understood the cadres’ ability, strong points, professional knowledge and mentality to arrange into offices and units so that they could train and help one another. Together, the College has advocated training these forces due to their positions with apropriate knowledge and political theories towards professionalism and specialism, taking the basic and regular education as the key. The College has well combined the distance training, in-service training and rotation of cadres in grassroots units; enhanced the retraining to improve the skills, pedagogical methods, foreign languages, information technology; appreciated the transmission of combat and real experience, at the same time, created favourable conditions for lecturers and educational managing cadres to self-study, do scientific research and prepare for their scientific titles. The College has strived to have 3-5 cadres and lecturers being appointed the associate professor positions, over 20% being rotated and going on fact-finding tours in units. To 2025, the College has 75% of cadres reaching the standards; 50% of them going through commanding and managing roles in units; over 65% of cadres having postgraduate qualifications, 10-12% being doctors, etc., which assures the quality, structure and meets the task requirements.
Fourthly, enhancing the education and school administration, standardising and modernising the teaching and learning materials and facilities. Closely following the education targets and requirements, the College has regularly completed the regulations and standards of the administrative competency framework. To enhance the progress of building and implementing the Project of “Plans to develop the 1st Army College to 2030 and the view to 2045”, the College has mobilised sources to reinforce the training grounds of tactics, techniques, driving and shooting ranges; upgrade the specialised classrooms, teaching-learning facilities and tools, making them modern, regular, multi-purposed, integrated and synchronous; fully provided documents, textbooks, reference books, weapons, training materials and equipment. In the condition of narrowed training grounds, the College has built the training complex, simulation centre, systems of sand tables, miniature training grounds and 3D software to train learners through computers and the “virtual reality”. Besides, the College has actively upgraded the LAN, military data transmission network to reform the administration; digitalised the school materials, widened the e-libraries, developed the digital maps, combat simultation technology, online learning and managing tools; built the Centre of field training and supporting battalions with proper structure and staff, having enough facilities, materials and ability of supporting all training activities and the cadets’ requirements of learning and practising.
Fifthly, promoting research, scientific and technological application, and training cooperation. The results of military scientific research are the main sources of the contents and materials for training programmes, the core and specific subjects in particular. Therefore, the College has assigned tasks and encouraged cadres and lecturers to do research related to the renovation and improvement the teaching and learning quality; the combat art in the high-tech warfare; the summaries of experience in managing, commanding and training; the compilation of new documents and textbooks, etc.; encouraged cadets to join the movement of Military Creative Youth; brought into play the initiatives on improving the training tools, researched topics and scientific essays, etc., concurrently, coordinated with offices and units to hold talks and scientific conferences; study materials; increase tours of study and experience exchanges; help with textbooks and materials; invite specialists and scientists to guide and evaluate postgraduate dessertations, etc.
The above solutions will create breakthroughs, drastic and stable changes of the training quality of the 1st Army College, contributing to the provision of high-quality human resources for the cause of building the Army and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.
Major General PHAM QUOC TUAN, Vice Rector of the College