“Education and training represents one of the key, breakthrough steps deciding the quality of cadres in the Military...” as stipulated in Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW, dated 22 December 2022 of the Central Military Commission on innovating education and training to meet the requirements and tasks of Military building in the new situation. Thoroughly grasping that viewpoint, by mean of drastic and synchronous solutions, the Party Committee and Board of Directors of the Chemical College have been leading and directing the implementation of this important Resolution effectively.

The Chemical College, under the Chemical Corps, is responsible for training chemical officers and employees from elementary to tertiary levels. Recently, by mean of many synchronous and effective solutions, the Party Committee and Directorate of the College have focused on leading and directing the improvement of its training quality. As a result, its teaching and educational administration staff has been constantly strengthened in quantity and gradually standardised in quality. Its graduates are capable of fulfiling their initial responsibilities and tasks well, and able to take on higher positions, contributing to improving the overall quality and combat power of the Corps.

Leader of the General Staff checks education and training work of the College

Currently, the increasingly complicated developments of traditional and non-traditional security challenges, especially natural disasters, epidemics, and environmental disasters coupled with the new requirements of the task of Military building and Fatherland protection have posed urgent requirements in human resource training in general and that of chemical cadres in particular, to meet the task requirements. To meet the requirements, the College continues to thoroughly grasp and strictly implement Resolution No. 1657-NQ/QUTW of the Central Military Commission on innovating education and training, meeting the requirements and tasks of Military building in new situation, focusing on the following solutions.

Firstly, strengthening the leadership and direction of party committees and commanders at all levels for the task of innovating and improving the quality of education and training. The Party Committee of the College requests its subordinates to strengthen leadership and direction to improve the effectiveness of ideological work, maintain political orientation for cadres and party members, especially the presiding ones at all levels, over the tasks of innovating and improving the quality of education and training. Promote the research and study of the Party's viewpoints and guidelines, State policies and laws, resolutions, directives, conclusions and regulations of the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence and the Chemical Corps to make a strong change in the awareness and responsibilities of cadres and party members, especially those in charge of departments, faculties, and battalions on innovating and improving the quality of education and training.

As the Chemical troops often have to operate in toxic and life-threatening environments, the College always pays attention to fostering and enhancing political bravery and revolutionary ethics, and the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers" for its contingent of teachers, educational administrators and cadets. It closely combines the building of clean and strong party organisations with the building of all-strong, "exemplary and typical" offices and units; the building of Party Committees associated with the building of key officials at all levels. Improve the effectiveness of party work and political work in education, training, scientific research, regularity building, and discipline management. Resolutely counter the mindset of being impatient, hesitation to innovation, and satisfaction in a part of cadres, lecturers, cadets, etc.

Second, comprehensively innovating training processes, programmes, content, forms, and the methods of teaching and  evaluating. Adhering to the Project "Innovating training processes and programmes of officers at all levels in the Military to meet requirements and tasks in the new situation", the College directs its offices and departments to proactively review and innovate the training process so as to shorten training time at school, increase the practice and internship time of cadets, as well as encourage their self-study. This is aimed to develop their capability from practicality in units. Build and standardise training programmes towards scientific, basic, comprehensive, modern, integrated, connected, and practical direction for the goal of building a modern Chemical Corps and a modern Military. To implement this goal, the College requires its offices and units to pay attention to political and ideological education and imparting combat experience; training the bravery, sense of responsibility, working methods and skills for handling situations of Chemical troops.

To innovate teaching forms and methods towards modern direction, the College actively researches and applies multiple active and practical teaching methods in a flexible manner; promotes the initiative and creativity of learners, linking theory with practice. Moreover, it maintains pedagogical activities in a regular and orderly manner; strengthens the training and self-training of teaching staff, focusing on their pedagogical skills, foreign language proficiency, and the ability to apply information technology and modern facilities in teaching. In addition, it enhances the self-study and self-training of cadets; promotes their passion for learning, doing scientific research and training; strengthens inspection, examination, re-inspection, practical reviews, and strictly handle wrongdoings and counter the phenomena of fake achievements in education and training.

Third, promoting the building and development of the contingent of teachers and administrators and innovate enrollment work. The College continues to make good plans of training, using, and developing the contingents of teachers and educational administrators to make it sufficient, capable, reasonably structured, and standardised. It actively coordinates with functional authorities to send its cadres and lecturers to training courses both domestically and internationally. At the same time, it conducts on-site training to improve the all-round capacity of this staff. Moreover, it deploys its cadres and teachers to fact-finding trips in units to improve their knowledge, skills, and practical experience to meet the required criteria. In the new conditions, it focuses on fostering modern managerial and administration skills for its officers at all level as well as the capacity to build and implement training processes and programmes for the teaching staff. Besides, it proactively proposes to the superiors to better recruitment, employment, and remuneration policies to attract high-skill human resources, especially the leading scientists and capable and experienced cadres. At the same time, it focuses on comprehensive and synchronous innovation of military recruitment to select the qualified cadets for training, meeting the requirements and tasks of the Corps and the Military.

Fourth, improving the quality of research and application of science and technology, and supplying sufficient facilities for education and training activities. The College shall invest in scientific research applied to education and training; prioritise scientific and technological innovation; build a linkage mechanism with research institutions, and, encourage scientific research activities of its cadres, lecturers and cadets; compile, complete and standardise the system of textbooks and teaching materials; promptly update new knowledge about military science, art, and the practice of units into education and training programmes; regularly review and revise outdated materials and textbooks; strengthen the compilation of electronic textbooks and practical textbooks; digitise textbooks and documents; develop electronic lecture databases, and digital learning materials on the military data transmission network; actively implement digital transformation in the field of education and training together with the building of smart school; increase investment in physical facilities and technical equipment to serve teaching, learning and scientific research; build simulation centres, lecture halls, specialised laboratories, electronic libraries, internet connection with modern facilities and technology. At the same time, it promotes training, fostering, and technology transfer for its cadres and lecturers on the ability to use modern means, models of learning tools, weapons, and equipment to meet the needs of teaching according to the new training processes and programmes, thereby contributing to improving the quality of education and training, meeting the requirements of Military building and protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

Senior Colonel, PhD. NGUYEN VAN BIEN, Political Commissar of the College