In the face of mission development and increasingly high demands for defence and security education, in recent times, Military Region 3’s Military School has taken various measures for the improved quality and efficiency of this work.

The opening ceremony of a defence and security course intended for the 2nd group of cadets held on July 10th, 2017 (photo: quankhu3.vn)

Besides the task of training cadres and non-commissioned officers for the Military Region 3’s armed forces, the Military School of the Military Region 3 is assigned to improve the knowledge of defence and security for localities’ 2^nd group of cadres in the Military Region’s area. It is noted that since 2016, implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision 161/QĐ-TTg and the Joint Circular 123/2015/TTLT-BQP-BGDĐT-BLĐTBXH, dated November 5^th 2015, by the Ministries of National Defence, Education and Training, Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs, the School has founded and put the Centre for Defence and Security Education into operation to educate students from 5 universities and vocational schools in the area on defence and security. Given mission developments, alongside advantages, the School is confronted with many a difficulty as the number of cadets rapidly increases while that of its staff does not increase. Moreover, its staff is not experienced in managing cadets and teaching defence and security. Against this backdrop, the School’s Party Executive Committee and Board determined to resolutely maintain the quality of defence and security education for the 2^nd group, and educate college students on defence and security seriously, qualitatively, effectively right in the first course. Realizing that resolution, the School has adopted various measures synchronously.

First, the School has accelerated introduction of the Party’s resolutions and directives and higher echelons’ legal normative documents, plans and guidance on defence and security education. Accordingly, focus has been put on the Politburo’s Directive 12-CT/TW, dated May 3^rd, 2007, on “enhancing the Party’s leadership over defence and security education in the new situation” (12^th tenure); the Law on Defence and Security Education; the Prime Minister’s Decree 13/2014/NĐ-CP, dated February 25^th, 2014, providing details and measures for implementation of the Law on Defence and Security Education; plans and guidance made by the Central Council for Defence and Security Education, first and foremost by the Military Region 3’s Council for Defence and Security Education. That has helped raise the staff’s awareness and responsibility, bring into play the School’s combined strength in performing this work, and fight against fearfulness of hardship and disregard for defence and security education. Grounded in uniform consciousness, the School has stepped up consolidation and stabilization of its organizational structure as well as the building of regulations on operations of the Centre for Defence and Security Education. Due to an increase in the number of cadets, it has adhered to plans and guidance of the Military Region 3’s Council for Defence and Security Education, while proactively working with functional agencies of the Military Region 3, localities, universities and vocational schools to develop plans for launching defence and security courses in accordance with its number of instructors and facilities, then submit them to the Military Region 3 for approval.

Most of the cadets belonging to the 2^nd group are cadres having high degree of qualification and awareness. Thus, the School has attached significance to selecting, cultivating and assigning instructors with good teaching competence and methodology to give lecture. In recent times, it has selected and assigned members of its Board, heads and deputy heads of faculties as well as good, experienced instructors to teach the 2^nd group; while designating young instructors to teach college students defence and security subjects. To meet the requirements, it has speeded up training and cultivation of its teaching staff. The focus of training has been placed on new issues, changes and supplements in defence and security education; on exchange of experience in organization and method of military training and management of cadets. Moreover, it has promoted the core role of experienced instructors in tutoring, guiding and helping one another. To achieve the high efficiency, it has based on each instructor’s capability and strengths to assign them proper specialized topics and provided sufficient teaching aids and information related to specialized topics for instructors to study and prepare lessons, while directing its faculties to implement the process of approving lecture rehearsal in a close manner.

In the upcoming years, the School steps up planning and training its teaching staff as well as improving their knowledge and qualities; while actively detecting experienced, competent cadres from offices, units and localities to suggest their appointment as its instructors to the Military Region 3’s Party Executive Committee and High Command. It proactively cooperates with functional agencies in selecting and dispatching cadres and instructors to study at academies and universities both inside and outside the Army; while detaching its instructors to units and localities in the Military Region 3 in order that they could accumulate knowledge and experience, thereby attaching the School to units and localities, satisfying targets and requirements of defence and security education. It strives to have 100% of its cadres and instructors in charge of defence and security education possessing a Bachelor’s degree, and 40% of its instructors in charge of teaching the 2^nd group possessing a master’s degree and above.

Furthermore, the School has stepped up innovation of curriculums and teaching methodology. Grounded in the National Defence Ministry’s Circular 38/2014/TT-BQP on “releasing program and content of and the fixed curriculum for defence and security education”, guidance and directions of the Military Region 3’s Council for Defence and Security Education and higher echelons, it has studied and built up the curriculum for the 2^nd group in accordance with the Military Region 3’s particularities and defence and security missions, ensuring the balance in defence, military and security knowledge. It is noted that the School has directed that drawing up specialized topics and lessons should combine the content of the system of textbooks and materials with new points of the Party’s guidelines on defence and security, include localities’ experience in implementation of defence and military tasks, and cut out elements that are no longer proper. From experience gained from developing the curriculum intended for the 2^nd group, it has directed functional offices to cooperate with faculties to formulate the curriculum intended for college students on the basis of ensuring the balance in military and political knowledge and increasing the volume of field training, with a focus on covering supplementary knowledge related to majors of students of each university.

To meet the increasingly high requirements set by defence and security education, the School has actively innovated teaching methodology. With respect to the 2^nd group, it has required its teaching staff to carefully study materials, apply information technology to lectures, and make them relevant to realities so that cadets could easily understand and apply to their study and work. During their lecture, instructors are requested to employ the student-centred method, guide self-study, actively suggest topics, and organize debates among cadets. Besides, it has organized field trips for cadets to observe and study defensive zone exercises, economic and defence models, defence works, military units, and so on. As for college students, instructors have placed emphasis on analyzing movements, providing models, and increasing practice activities in the forms of team and class. Learning from experience of other centres for defence and security education, it has held conferences with other universities and vocational schools to review the result of defence and security education, receive opinions about its curriculum and teaching methodology, exchange experience, resolve limitations and weaknesses in organization, direction, management, coordination of defence and security education. To date, it has launched 87 defence and security courses for more than 6,400 cadres of the 2^nd group. Since 2016, it has organized 8 training courses for 1,363 college students, which has been highly appreciated by the Military Region 3’s Council for Defence and Security Education.

Moreover, due regard has been paid to improving facilities and spiritual life for cadets. When coming to study at the School, most of the cadets, especially college students, have yet to be familiar with military environment. Thus, the School has directed the Centre for Defence and Security Education in cooperation with offices and units to make elaborate preparation ranging from reception, stabilization of organization and structure, provision of accommodation and materials, preparation for training grounds and field trips. In the meantime, it has introduced and popularized goals and requirements set by subjects, daily and weekly routines as well as regulations within the School to the cadets. In addition, it has regularly organized art performances and sport activities to create pleasant atmosphere and bring about a sense of unity between cadres and cadets, thereby firmly grasping cadets’ ideological situation, opportunely solving arising issues, bringing into play cadets’ activeness and self-consciousness.

Promoting its obtained results and achievements, the Military Region 3’s Military School will continue to adopt measures to improve the quality of training and defence and security education, contributing to making the all-people national defence in the Military Region's area increasingly strong.

Sr. Col. Pham Thanh Hai, Deputy Commandant of the School