Deeply grasping the Party's resolutions and directives on fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training to meet the requirements and tasks of building the Army, consolidating national defence and protecting the Fatherland in the current situation, the Artillery Officer School (under the Artillery Corps) has conducted practical and synchronous solutions and achieved initial positive results.

Renovating and improving the quality of education and training is a consistent policy of the Party and State, which is deeply reflected in Conclusion No. 51-KL/TW, dated May 30, 2019 of the Secretariat on continuing to implement Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW, dated November 4, 2013 of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure) "On fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training to meet the requirements of industrialisation, modernisation in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration". That task is even more urgent for the Artillery Officer School to meet the requirements of training officers, building the Artillery Corps and the Army in the new situation. Being well aware of that, over the past time, the Party Committee and the School Board of Directors have proposed many guidelines and solutions to lead and direct the comprehensive renovation of education and training work under the motto “The schools’ training quality creates the combat readiness of the units”. As a result, the quality of education and training of the School has been continuously improved. Results of recent training courses are: 79.8% or more graduates achieve fairly good and good results; Graduates of the school have completed their first duty, with more than 60% completing them at good level. The prestige of the School in the Military school system has been well recognised.

In order to further improve the quality of education and training, to meet the requirements of building an elite, compact, strong and modern army, the School’s Party Committee and the Board of Directors intend to continue to deeply grasp and seriously implement resolutions and directives of the Party, Central Military Commission, etc. on promoting fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training work. In particular, the focus is on leading and directing the implementation of basic contents and solutions as follows:

First of all, promote innovation of training contents, processes and programs in the direction of standardisation, modernisation with the main focus on practices. In recent years, on the basis of mastering the training goals and requirements, the School has made innovations in terms of contents, programs, processes and training time according to the output standards. Promoting the achieved results, sticking to the goals, requirements and tasks of building a modern army by 2030 according to the Resolution of the 11th Congress of the Military Party Committee, in the coming time, the School will continue to innovate training contents and programs in the direction of standardisation, modernisation and learners’ capacity development. Accordingly, in terms of training contents and programs, the School will continue to reduce the time for theory learning, increase the time for practices, especially practical skills on weapons and new artillery facilities; artillery command and staff in the conditions of high-tech war. The School will update the development of military art, new ways of fighting and content from Army Games contest in training, rehearsal, practices, military festivals and contests. The School will direct agencies and faculties to review and re-evaluate the entire contents and programs, resolutely remove duplicate and inappropriate contents, knowledge and ensure continuity, inheritance and development of training. At the same time, the School will consult managers and learners about training contents and programs; conduct surveys about the units’ actual requirements of training and combat readiness, the quality of graduates when working in units, etc. The results of the above activities will serve as a basis for building output standards and training program standards.

Principal of the school addresses at the opening ceremony of the 2022 - 2023 academic year

Secondly, build and develop a contingent of teachers and educational managers. By 2025, over 70% of the School’s teachers and educational managers will meet prescribed standards, over 15% of cadres and lecturers have doctorate degrees, associate professors, excellent teachers, and good lecturers at ministerial level. To achieve the above goal, the School focuses on thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing the Party's policy on “strongly renew the remuneration policy and build a contingent of teachers and educational managers”. Accordingly, the school regularly reviews and develops plans on the use of teachers and educational managers in association with the Project “Building a contingent of teachers and educational managers in the Army to meet the requirements of fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training in the period of 2021 – 2030”. On that basis, the School focuses on leading and directing agencies, units and faculties to create sources, select and supplement the contingent of lecturers and scientists in each major to ensure the constant and steady development. In particular, attach the importance to the selection and development of teachers and managers from a contingent of capable commanders and leaders in the unit. On the other hand, the School actively innovates the contents, methods and forms of training; fosters lecturers in the direction of developing professional capacity, focusing on the capacity of developing training programs, teaching capacity according to modern methods; scientific research capacity and information technology application to digital transformation in teaching activities. Actively develop plans to send teachers and education managers to units, rotate and hold command and management positions along with staff planning at grassroots units. Promote the role of the faculties and departments in on-the-job training for the teaching staff; encourage teachers and education managers to self-study, improve their qualifications, and meet the requirements of tasks in the new situation. Regularly evaluate teachers and educational managers along with rewarding, honouring and encouraging the development of cadres.

Thirdly, strengthen the cooperation between the School and the units in education and training. This is a particularly important solution which is the basis for orienting the fundamental and comprehensive renovation of education and training work in association with the actual situation of training and combat readiness in the units. Based on functions and tasks, the School actively develops plans and regulations to coordinate with agencies and units in education and training, especially in building output standards of training programs; adjust, supplement and develop new training programs, contents, forms and methods of training, compile curriculum and teaching materials; coordinate with units in training and rehearsals; invite leaders, unit commanders to teach and exchange experiences in training and building units. Carry out activities such as sightseeing, research and practical learning so that lecturers and students can access newly modern weapons and technical equipment; make use of the training fields to improve the practical knowledge and practical capacity of teachers and learners.

Fourthly, maximise resources, consolidate and develop infrastructure, promote scientific research to better the development of education and training. While implementing the policy on improving the quality of human resources and people development, the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress clearly states: the focus should be on “appropriate investment for high-quality education and training...” to meet the requirements of national construction and protection in the new situation. Thoroughly grasping that spirit, the School has focused on maximizing resources for upgrading material foundations, teaching equipment, training fields in the direction of standardisation and modernisation. At the same time, it has promoted the application of information technology and simulation technology in accordance with the general standards of the State, the Army and particular training characteristics.

Along with that, the School has promoted the innovation in scientific research with particular focuses in order to effectively support its education and training. The focus of this practice was on developing topics that are up-to-date, realistic such as: theory of firing and commanding ground artillery; application of information technology in supporting element calculation, automating the command of ground artillery fire; application of new techniques and technologies in the manufacture of equipment to support training and combat readiness in artillery specialties. On the basis of highly feasible programs and scientific products, the School has applied into compiling curricula and teaching materials, publishing monographs and references for teaching, learning and researches of lecturers and learners at the School as well as other units in the Army.

Along with the above solutions, the School continues to well implement Directive No. 89/CT-BQP, dated April 4, 2018 of the Minister of National Defence on “Strengthening the review on the practices of training, combat readiness in association with the education and training of military schools to meet the requirements of the new situation”. The School has asked for more overseas training quota for staff and lecturers; coordinated to open foreign languages classes at the School in order to continuously standardise the qualifications of teachers and educational managers to meet the criteria of becoming a university by 2025.

Colonel, Dr. KIEU HUU KIEN, Principal of the school