The Border Guard College, under the Border Guard High Command, was established through the merger of Border Guard School No.1 (in the North) and Border Guard School No.2 (in the South). It is tasked with providing training at various levels (college, intermediate, and basic), as well as offering specialised technical and Border Guard training, and language courses (Lao, Chinese, and Cambodian) for officers and non-commanding officers in the Border Guard forces across provinces. Additionally, the college provides training and Vietnamese language courses for Cambodian officers, and remains ready to fulfil other ad hoc duties. In recent years, the college has faced significant challenges due to its recent formation, having to simultaneously consolidate its organisational structure and deliver instruction to a wide range of cadets. These efforts are compounded by the difficulties of operating across two geographically separated campuses in the North and South, with logistical issues persisting, particularly in standardising teaching materials and infrastructure. Moreover, the command and management of training and education across the two distant campuses has been difficult, with some staff and lecturers experiencing anxiety about possible rotations. In response to these challenges, the college’s Party Committee and Board of Principals have consistently focused on practical realities, taking decisive leadership to instil a strong political resolve in officers and Party members. Step by step, they have overcome these difficulties, implementing a comprehensive and effective set of measures to execute training and educational duties as a college, even from the first academic year. As a result, the quality of training and education at the institution has continuously improved, with each successive year outperforming the last. Recent training outcomes show that 100% of cadets successfully met the requirements for graduation, with 80% to 85% achieving good or excellent results, a marked improvement from the 75% to 80% prior to the merger. Graduates possess the qualities and capabilities necessary to meet their assigned duties and responsibilities, significantly contributing to the overall quality and combat strength of the Border Guard.

A practical lesson of cadets

To achieve these results, the College has prioritised leadership and guidance in restructuring and stabilising its organisational framework and has conducted training and education based on the new curriculum following the merger decision. This is both a fundamental principle and the foremost solution to improving the quality of training and education in the new context. First, to consolidate the organisational structure in accordance with Decision No.2680/QĐ-TM dated 28 October 2022 by the General Staff on the issuance of the organisational chart for the Border Guard College, the College Party Committee directed party committees at all levels to thoroughly study the organisational structure, review the quantity and quality of officers and non-commanding officers, and provide a foundation for proposing to the Party Committee the appropriate arrangement and adjustment of departments, faculties, and cadet management units in a logical and scientific manner. Through rigorous, cautious, objective, and accurate efforts, within a short period, the College’s organisational system was consolidated and completed, from administrative departments to units, ensuring uniformity across the two campuses. This restructuring effectively met the requirements of command, management, and the execution of training and educational tasks. In order to perform its core political task in a structured, high-quality, and efficient manner, the College thoroughly disseminated key resolutions, directives, and plans from the Central Military Party Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Border Guard High Command regarding education and training work, as well as the College’s mission in the new phase. This has enabled the leadership and command of various departments, faculties, and cadet management battalions to fully grasp the honour and responsibility associated with the College’s elevation to tertiary education status. Consequently, the Party committees and organisations at all levels formulated leadership resolutions for training and education tasks, with suitable policies and solutions. Emphasis was placed on tightly coordinated, scientifically sound training plans, with higher goals and requirements for each student group. Throughout the process, from reviewing and adjusting teaching materials to overseeing training programmes, courses, and evaluation, the College ensured smooth, safe, and genuine assessments. This preserved and enhanced the comprehensive quality of training to a good standard, meeting and exceeding the targets set by the Border Guard High Command for annual training work.

In line with the motto “Fundamental, systematic, unified, and specialised,” and in light of the lack of standardised teaching materials, the College directed its departments and faculties to actively review and swiftly refine the content and curriculum to match the output standards for various cadet groups, as stipulated in Circular No.73/2022/TT-BQP, dated 30 October 2022, issued by the Ministry of National Defence, on the “Framework Programme for College-level Education for the Border Guard College.” Special attention was given to updating and supplementing new content and knowledge related to national border protection across border regions and the application of information technology in teaching. As a result, since the 2022-2023 academic year, the College has developed eight new training programmes for two college-level Border Guard cohorts and has completed four college programmes in the fields of border management, border gate administration, reconnaissance, and drug prevention and crimes. Additionally, 16 training programmes have been revised and supplemented for the following groups: Border Guard intermediate, Border Guard intermediate conversion, foreign languages, and staff in the fields of telegraphy, ship steering, border gate administration, and drug prevention and crimes. Notably, the College has finalised the output standards for various training groups in line with the plans of the Education Department under the General Staff and the directives of the Border Guard High Command. These standards serve as an important foundation for the College to refine its curriculum, ensuring a comprehensive and specialised body of knowledge for each cadet group. This addresses the issues of overly broad or insufficient content, ensuring that graduates are well-prepared to meet the demands of their units and can advance to higher positions. Specifically, for Cambodian cadets, the College proactively adjusted and supplemented the curriculum, producing bilingual teaching materials to meet research, teaching, and learning needs effectively. It also revamped Vietnamese language teaching methods by converting conversational lessons into physical games and organising cultural exchanges between Vietnamese cadets learning Khmer and Cambodian cadets learning Vietnamese. This approach emphasises the development of listening and speaking skills for both Vietnamese and Cambodian cadets.

Teaching Vietnamese for Cambodian cadets

Management and administration of training, education, and methodological activities within the departments, faculties, and cadet management units have been identified by the College as fundamental in applying the “Three Perspectives, Eight Principles, and Six Combinations” to training and education. To ensure effectiveness, the College has directed the Training Department, faculty members, and cadet management units to regularly exchange and coordinate, based on cadet numbers and teaching schedules, to arrange and adjust training timetables efficiently. On a monthly and weekly basis, they collaborate closely to maintain classroom attendance, conduct checks, and ensure that cadets maintain a disciplined self-study and self-improvement routine. They strictly enforce regulations, preventing any violations during the training and educational process. As a result, all content modules are delivered comprehensively, systematically, and scientifically, avoiding overlap or omissions. The College has directed the faculties to organise methodological activities effectively, such as lesson evaluations, teaching inspections, class observations, and trial lectures, all aimed at drawing experience and improving teaching quality. Special emphasis is placed on modernising teaching and learning methods, focusing on a learner-centred approach that encourages cadet initiative, engagement, and creativity. At the same time, the College continues to organise competitions and events, particularly the “Excellent Lecturer” contests at various levels, and other supporting activities, seeing them as an important avenue to refine and enhance teaching methods. Through these practical activities, the teaching staff’s skills, pedagogical methods, foreign language proficiency, and ability to apply information technology in teaching have steadily improved, meeting the standards required for college-level lecturers. Moreover, the College has instructed cadet management units to maintain a strict extracurricular routine, enabling students to apply their acquired knowledge in developing professional skills. This creates confidence in cadets as they transition to their assigned units upon graduation. For many years, the College has regularly invited leaders from various departments of the Border Guard High Command to conduct specialised talks, sharing practical experience with officers, lecturers, and students, thereby contributing to the overall improvement of the College’s training and education quality.

In addition to the aforementioned measures, the College places great importance on developing a contingent of lecturers and education management officers with comprehensive qualities and capabilities, meeting both immediate and long-term training and educational needs. The College’s Party Committee and Board of Principals have proactively focused on disseminating tasks, educating, and motivating the staff to ensure their stability, resilience, and readiness to accept assignments, relocations, and rotations as required by the organisation. At the same time, they have efficiently planned and oriented the use of personnel, building a contingent of lecturers and educational managers of adequate quantity and quality, with a reasonable structure. These individuals are provided with pedagogical training and certification, ensuring they are qualified to teach at both intermediate and college levels, in line with regulatory standards. During this process, the College has coordinated with relevant agencies to send cadres and lecturers for training at military academies and institutions, while also combining this with in-place training to enhance the comprehensive capabilities of this key workforce. Additionally, officers and lecturers have been assigned to rotational and fieldwork assignments at units, aimed at improving their knowledge, skills, and practical experience. As a result, 100% of the lecturers and educational management cadres possess a strong passion for their profession, good moral character, and a high level of responsibility in managing, teaching, and overseeing cadets.

Another important initiative that the College has actively implemented is advising and proposing to higher authorities the need to focus on securing and providing resources to support training and education. The College has concentrated on investing in building lecture halls, accommodation, and dining facilities, as well as upgrading training grounds, exercise fields, models, and teaching equipment. These efforts have created a solid physical foundation for achieving training and education goals, befitting the College’s new status as the Border Guard College.

Senior Colonel NGUYEN XUAN TOAN, Vice Principal of the College