As a centre for foreign language, international relations, and professional specialisations for Defence Intelligence Sector, Military Science Academy has always attached importance to improving the effectiveness of education and training to ensure high-qualified human resources and meet the requirements and tasks of building the Army and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

As a leading educational and training institution in the Army, Military Science Academy is tasked with training various fields and sectors with increased scale, trainees, capacity, and requirement. The Academy’s principal objective is to train and foster contingents of cadres with firm political will and absolute loyalty to the Party, the State, and the People, high determination, professional competence, sharp, flexible, and creative professional thinking, etc. Thoroughly grasping higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on education and training amid the trend of international integration and cooperation, in recent years, the Academy has effectively conducted fundamental and comprehensive renewal and step-by-step standardisation of training contents and curriculum at all levels and specialisations with the orientation of being “specialised and intensive”. Accordingly, it is imperative to equip cadets with new knowledge, soft and professional skills, and self-learning to acclimatise to work environment after graduation. At the same time, Project on Improving the quality of training cadres at the Academy must be conducted; the contents of Project on Improving the quality of training foreign language and international relations in the 2016-2020 period, etc. to make the Academy a leading centre for training and researching languages and international relations and evaluating foreign language competence in the Army.

To constantly improve the education and training quality for the strategic objective of developing the Army’s and the country’s education and training, especially the demand for high-qualified human resources for international cooperation, foreign relations, and activities of the Sector to promptly contribute to protecting the Fatherland from afar in the new situation, the Academy should implement fundamental measures as follows.

Firstly, strengthening the work of education and propagation to enhance the awareness and responsibility of cadres, lecturers, cadets, and personnel toward the tasks of education and training. The Academy’s Party Committees and Directorate should require party committees, commanders of agencies, faculties, and units at all levels to regularly conduct education and propagation to create unity and enormous change in their awareness of the position, role, and importance of improving the education and training quality, the role of the Academy in training and providing human resources to meet the requirements and tasks assigned by General Department of Defence Intelligence and the Army in the new situation. The work of propagation and thought orientation in educating, training, and building a comprehensively strong Academy should be enhanced. Besides, it is necessary to combine education and training with organising campaigns, emulation movements, competitions, etc. to encourage full participation. At the same time, the resolutions and directives of the Party, the Central Military Commission (CMC), and the Ministry of National Defence on education and training must be effectively implemented, especially Conclusion No. 51-KL/TW issued on May 30^th, 2019 by the Secretariat on continuing the implementation of Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW on fundamental and comprehensive renewal of education and training to satisfy the requirements of industrialisation and modernisation in a socialist-oriented market economy during international integration, Resolution No. 806-NQ/QUTW issued on December 31^st, 2013 by the CMC on International Integration and foreign affairs until 2020 and beyond, etc. to add to the Academy’s development strategy until 2025 with a vision to 2030 and beyond.

MSA signs cooperation agreement with the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Secondly, designing the contents and curriculum for education and training to fit the requirements and tasks in the new situation. The Academy should continue to implement the renewal of training contents and curriculum at all levels of education, specialisations with the orientation of being “specialised and intensive”, qualified, effective, and close to the output standards and requirements of tasks with the motto: “The Academy’s training quality is the measure for the unit’s combat readiness”. It is necessary to attach importance to equipping theoretical knowledge and professional skills, forging trainees’ political will, commanding manners, and health. Actual knowledge of professional specialisation must be enhanced to ensure the in-depth, professionalism, and adaptation to work environment after graduation. Positive and modern teaching and learning methodologies should be applied to bring into play the cadets’ quality and competence. It is important to reduce theory time and increase the amount of time for self-studying, discussion, practice, and extracurricular activities to turn training process into self-training. Learning and scientific research should be combined with forging practice skills to develop general and specialised competence, quick adaptation, and effective response to actual situations when working.

Two of the criteria of cadets after graduation are good proficiency in foreign languages and the ability to exploit and get access to foreign cultures, lifestyles, thoughts, and information; however, they are usually exposed to multifaceted impacts including damaging allegations. Without a firm political view, they are prone to wavering, “xenophilia”, and even “deviation” in ideologies. Thus the Academy should particularly attach importance to educating and enhancing cadets’ political will, revolution vigilance, and “immunisation”. The focus should be placed on renewing methods and improving the quality of teaching social sciences and humanities in combination with synchronously conducting party work, political work, and promoting learning and following Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, morality, and manners, Resolution No. 847-NQ/QUTW issued on December 28^th, 2021 by the CMC on promoting the quality of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers”, determining to fight individualism in the new situation, etc. Accordingly, the cadets can be equipped with firm revolution morality and steadfast in the objectives and ideologies in studying and working later on.

Thirdly, constantly enhancing the quality of lecturers to meet the requirements and task fulfilment. Education and training quality depend on numerous factors including lecturers as the decisive factor. Therefore, the Academy should focus on basic training, planning, arranging, and scientifically using the teaching staff in each stage to ensure unity, inheritance constancy, and development. The teaching staff with qualification, competence, and professional qualification should be built in accordance with the structure, specialisations, ages, succession planning, and the requirements of the Academy and each faculty. By 2025, the Academy strives for 100% of standard lecturers, over 50% of main lecturers, and over 90% of lecturers achieving postgraduate qualifications. Every year, all cadres and lecturers must perform the task of scientific research. To that end, the Academy should closely, flexibly, and synchronously combine modes of training and forging the teaching staff. In particular, it is important to send lecturers with qualifications, competence, good health, and appropriate ages to schools and academies inside and outside the Army. The Academy should also invite foreign specialists and lecturers to take part in teaching foreign languages, exchanging, cooperating, and coordinating to hold seminars. Expanding cooperation will facilitate lecturers’ participation in domestic and international conferences, specialised seminars. Fact-finding trips should be organised for the lecturers to improve practical knowledge. Cooperation and coordination with domestic and international schools should be promoted so that lecturers can get access to and learn advanced training models and curricula.

Additionally, the Academy should attach importance to accelerating method-exchanging activities, promoting lecturers’ initiative and creativity in self-studying and applying advanced and effective methods, especially those specialising in foreign languages and international relations. Importance should be placed on providing the lecturers with the development of the training programme, updating the latest issues on the viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, policies and laws of the State, and the tasks of building the Army and safeguarding the Fatherland. At the same time, it is important to build a typical teaching staff with political qualities, morality, lifestyles, and exemplary pedagogic manners for cadets to follow. The best conditions (about regimes, policies, work environment, etc.) should be created so that the lecturers can have a chance to create, develop and contribute; their task is not only to impart knowledge but also to provide motivation and inspiration for cadets.

Fourthly, continuing to invest in modern facilities and equipment, renew the inspection and evaluation of education and training results. To ensure the effectiveness of applying advanced teaching methods, the Academy should attach importance to developing teaching facilities and equipment according to the requirements of standardisation and international integration in association with the implementation of projects to get access to technologies. Teaching equipment and devices should be invested in to ensure the flexible and effective interaction between lecturers and cadets. It is necessary to implement the use of e-textbooks, software, and programmes for managing, administering training, inspecting, evaluating, and accrediting the training quality. To become a centre for learning, researching, and exploiting information, the construction, upgradation, and modernisation of the library will ensure its utility and aestheticism. Importance should also be put on boosting the application of projects on information technology, laboratories, and simulation rooms to create a friendly, modern, and effective learning-teaching environment.

With the motto of “practical teaching, essential learning, and actual evaluation”, the Academy will continue to stringently implement the regulations on education and training, evaluate quality assurance factors, periodically check, and adjust the output standards, training contents, and curricula. Testing modes and methods should be renewed to receive the actual assessment of trainees’ performance. It is necessary to improve the quality of building test banks, build the criteria for assessing cadets’ performance in direction of valuing the ability to apply theories to practice, and determine to prevent negatives and fake achievements in education and training. With sustainable development, Military Science Academy strives to deserve the leading institute of the Army and the entire country to meet the requirements of building the Army and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new situation.

Major General, Dr. NGUYEN DUC LOI, Rector of Military Science Academy