Over the years, particularly in the school year 2023 - 2024, academies and schools across the Military (hereafter referred to as military schools for short) have continued to grasp and well execute resolutions and directives on education and training, with a focus on the 11th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 29-NQ/TW dated 4 November 2013, Resolution 1657-NQ/QUTW dated 20 December 2022 by the Central Military Commission (CMC), and relevant projects, plans, and directives by the Ministry of National Defence (MND). The system of military schools has continued to be consolidated; their capabilities in training and scientific research have been improved as an important incentive for accelerating the building of an “adept, compact, strong” Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) towards modernity.
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| A conference to standardise university-level curricula within military schools held by the General Staff of the VPA (photo: qdnd.vn) |
Due attention has been paid to renewing and improving education and training, executing education projects, and especially realising the motto: “the quality of training within schools signifies units’ combat readiness capacity”. Training procedures and curricula have been reviewed, adjusted, and updated scientifically, practically, continuously, and reciprocally. Military schools have stepped up the development of their curricula relevant to each major’s outcome standards. Besides, there have been new changes in employing learner-centred approach, information technology, simulation technology, and modern equipment in teaching and scientific research. Consideration has been given to strictly maintaining the work of inspection, investigation, testing, and quality control. Military schools have continued to combine education and training with scientific research, thereby comprehensively developing cadets’ qualities and capabilities, particularly applying theory to practice, contributing to developing high-quality human resources, meeting the requirements of VPA building in the new situation.
However, there have been many drawbacks in the VPA’s education and training work. Training procedures and curricula for some target groups have yet to be really proper. Hands-on experience and capabilities in foreign languages and information technology among a section of instructors have yet to keep pace with the development of education and training.
The school year 2024 - 2025 plays a decisive role in the performance of military school work and education and training tasks according to the Resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress and the 11th Military Party Congress. Meanwhile, we will have basically built an “adept, compact, strong” VPA by 2025 as a solid foundation for building a revolutionary, regular, elite, modern VPA from 2030. Hence, offices, units, and schools across the VPA shall further renew education and training work, with emphasis placed on several main solutions as follows.
First, continuing to enhance all-level party committees and commands’ leadership and direction over education and training. The entire VPA, particularly military schools should further grasp resolutions and directives by the Party, the CMC, and the MND on education and training, especially the Politburo’s Conclusion 91-KL/TW dated 12 August 2024 on continuing to execute the 11th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 29-NQ/TW on “fundamentally, comprehensively renewing education and training, meeting the requirements of industrialisation and modernisation in the context of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration” and the CMC’s Resolution 1657-NQ/QUTW dated 20 December 2022. The whole Military should be cognisant of the necessity and urgency of a reform in education and training as a prerequisite for building an “adept, compact, strong” VPA towards modernity. Importance should be attached to improving the quality of leadership and direction from all-level party committees and commands.
Military schools should continue to design programs and plans for renewing education and training in each period and school year relevant to their functions and tasks to achieve a comprehensive positive change in target groups’ awareness and responsibility. They should regularly review and supplement measures in action plans and programs for the CMC’s Resolution 1657-NQ/QUTW as well as for the MND’s projects in accordance with the targets and tasks of the school year 2024 - 2025. They should also adhere to higher echelons’ orientations, while upholding political resolve and the “7 dares” spirit of former Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; guidelines and measures must be comprehensive and synchronous, with a qualitative breakthrough in education and training work.
Second, continuing to renew and complete training procedures and curricula in line with a reform in teaching methods. Military schools should grasp and effectively execute the Project on “renewing training procedures and curricula for all-level cadres within the VPA to meet the task requirements in the new situation” and the motto: “the quality of training within schools signifies units’ combat readiness capacity”. Curricula within military schools should be opportunely adjusted and updated to keep pace with the development of forces’ weaponry, training, combat readiness as well as the development of Vietnam’s military science and art. There should be adjustments in training periods appropriate to each group of cadets, with an increase in practice, internship, and self-study, while each subject, semester, school year, and course should be designed in a logical way. Besides, curricula should be standardised in a revolutionary, scientific, continuous, integrated, developmental, and practical manner. It is important to establish program outcome standards in accordance with the training objectives of each training program and admission requirements of higher-level training programs. There should be education transfer programs at the same level or in the same speciality group for the sake of flexible employment of graduates. Moreover, curricula within military schools should be refined and regularly updated in a systematic, feasible, basic, comprehensive, practical, effective, gradually modern fashion. Military education should be closely combined with political education, while the Project on renewing the field of social sciences and humanities within military schools should be well implemented.
In addition to renewing and completing training procedures and curricula, military schools should continue to renew and modernise teaching methods. They should further apply information technology, simulation technology, and digitalisation in teaching to arouse cadets’ dynamism, proactiveness, creativity, and aspiration in study. While theory should be combined with practice, schools’ education process should be closely linked with units’ training realities. A reform in teaching methods should be closely associated with encouraging cadets’ self-study to acquire knowledge, develop their thinking, life skills, group work skills, and professional working skills within an international environment as well as to transform the training process into a self-training one. Besides, it is vital to renew forms and methods of testing and assessment in education and training in a substantive way to achieve a breakthrough in the quality of teaching and learning.
Third, building a contingent of teachers and education managers on a par with their task requirements in the new situation. Grounded on the role of paramount importance performed by teachers and education managers in realising the goals of renewing and improving education and training, military schools should continue to step up the Project on “building a pool of teachers and education managers within the VPA in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond”. Emphasis should be placed on building a contingent of teachers and education managers with the quantity, structure, and quality standards set by the MND. Due regard should be paid to the planning, training, cultivation, employment, and management of teachers and education managers. Much importance should be attached to developing a pool of teachers as top experts at all levels with great professional competence and high academic ranks and titles. Additionally, it is necessary to improve teaching staff’s professional knowledge, methodology, and command of foreign languages and information technology. Due attention should be paid to deploying cadres and teachers to offices and units outside military schools so that they will fulfil criteria for job titles and get more hands-on experience.
It is important to enhance the building of a contingent of teachers and education managers as role models in the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle. In the process, it is essential to adhere to the Politburo’s Regulation 114-QĐ/TW dated 9 May 2024 on revolutionary ethical standards of cadres and party members in the new period and encourage teachers and education managers’ self-study and self-improvement to fulfil the glorious mission of “teachers - soldiers” in the new situation.
Fourth, well conducting the work of propagation and vocational orientation to attract young talents to military schools. In military education and training, the quality of admission requirements is of utmost importance to providing high-quality human resources for the VPA. Hence, military schools should continue to synchronously, effectively implement the Project on “organising military university entrance examination in the period of 2023 - 2030 and beyond”, with significance attached to carrying out the work of propagation and vocational orientation for pupils from secondary and high schools in a fundamental way.
To that end, military schools should proactively closely cooperate with localities, press agencies, and military offices to conduct propagation and organise visits to military schools or units to allow pupils to observe living, studying, training, and combat readiness activities in the military environment. In the process of propagation and vocational orientation, it is vital to arouse love for our country and VPA among the youth and clarify our Party and State’s preferential policies for education and training within the Military. Doing so will help motivate excellent pupils to apply for military university entrance examination and then devote themselves to the building of the VPA towards modernity.
Fifth, ensuring sufficient facilities and modern equipment, stepping up the employment of information technology and digital transformation in education and training. Well implementing this solution will positively impact on renewing and improving education and training within the VPA, particularly amid the robust development of the 4th industrial revolution and military science. Thus, military schools should closely coordinate with competent offices to advise the MND to concentrate resources on constructing facilities, acquiring state-of-the-art, regular teaching equipment, and modernising training grounds. Due regard should be paid to constructing modern, smart specialised classrooms, laboratories, and simulation centres, digitalising and modernising libraries, textbooks, and documents for training and scientific research. At the same time, great value should be attached to applying information technology, simulation technology, and digital transformation in teaching and learning in order to realise the Project on “smart schools capable of approaching the 4th industrial revolution”.
Sixth, raising the quality of coordination and cooperation in education and training. To that end, it is necessary to enhance coordination and connection between military and civilian educational institutions as well as between military schools, units, research centres, and defence manufacturers. It is important to execute the Project on “continuing to train civilian students at some military educational establishments” with permission from competent offices to provide high-calibre human resources for the country’s socio-economic, cultural development and defence - security strengthening. Doing so will give opportunities to military schools to comprehensively develop themselves into national-level and international-level training and research centres, allowing the VPA to assert its political responsibility and role in the country’s education, training, industrialisation, and modernisation cause in the new situation.
In international cooperation in education and training, it is necessary to conform to our Party and State’s viewpoints. Emphasis should be placed on raising the effectiveness of scientific research, experience sharing, and training cooperation with other countries around the world; importance should be attached to basic, long-term, specialised training cooperation in accordance with the VPA’s weaponry. Training cooperation with traditional friends and countries having great potential in each field should be stepped up. Priority should be given to training specialised, key, high-calibre human resources for managing, commanding, designing, manufacturing, repairing, and modifying weapons and technical equipment so as to develop defence industry and modernise the VPA.
Education and training represent human development, being ranked as “national priority”. Continuing to raise the quality of education and training within the VPA will contribute to turning Vietnam into a powerhouse in terms of education and training at regional level and enabling our country to keep pace with the world’s advanced level and take part in the global human resource training market. Therefore, the entire VPA, particularly military schools should continue to uphold a sense of responsibility and strive to overcome difficulties to renew and further improve education and training, with a view to providing high-quality human resources for the building of an “adept, compact, strong” VPA towards modernity in the new situation.
Lt. Gen. NGUYEN DOAN ANH
Member of the Party Central Committee
Member of the CMC
Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the VPA