“Taking intensive care of the contingent of lecturers and educational administrators is the key stage” that directly determines the quality of education and training. It is necessary to continue to study and put this imperative issue into practice through numerous synchronous and effective measures.

Fully grasping and implementing the guidelines of the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence on education and training, the Party Committee and Board of directors of the Army Officer College No.2 have always paid attention to fostering and training its contingent of lecturers and educational administrators in ideological stance, political will, management level, command, pedagogy, foreign languages, and practical competencies to satisfy the task requirements. Since 2015, the College has held 74 training courses for 2.345 rounds of lecturers and educational administrators on pedagogy, foreign languages, information technology, proficiency in conducting party work, political work, soldier management regulations, education quality accreditation, and sent 251 rounds of lecturers on fact-finding trips to units. Together with implementing cadre planning, the College has issued and strictly observed the regulations on selecting, developing cadre resources, and using lecturers and educational administrators; attached posting, appointing, and rotating with planning and training successors. At the same time, importance has been placed on building specialised classrooms with modern equipment for teaching and scientific research; ensuring the policies, regimes, material and spiritual life and favourable environment for lecturers and educational administrators to develop and strengthen their commitment to work. Thanks to the appropriate measures, their self-awareness, and learning autonomy, the College’s contingent of lecturers and educational administrators have been step-by-step standardised and strengthened with a synchronous and balanced structure. Their political qualities, professional ethics, reasoning competence, practical experience, pedagogic methods, management and command competence have also been improved. More and more young lecturers and educational administrators achieving noble academic titles and distinctions.

However, due to the developments in the task of education and training of the College, the building of lecturers and educational administrators has yet to meet expectations totally. Training contents sometimes do not fit the characteristics and levels of trainees; criteria, especially the level of foreign languages for training abroad, have yet to be fully developed. Besides, the structure of the contingents of lecturers is somehow inadequate in terms of age, experience, and positions; the number of lectures and educational administrators with combat experience has gradually declined. A minority of lecturers and educational administrators are deficient in systematic knowledge, competencies, experience in commanding, training, and managing soldiers, and pedagogic methods, which negatively influences the training quality.

Granting senior lecturer certificates

Currently and in the forthcoming years, the College’s tasks of education and training are witnessing developments in scale, forms, trainees, and methods and increasing requirements, which demand the lecturers and educational administrators to be extensively trained and standardised. This imperative task requires determination and effort from the College. This article mentions some measures to implement the tasks.

Firstly, strengthening the leadership and direction of party committees and commands at all levels toward training lecturers and educational administrators. Practice shows that the leadership, direction, supervision, and inspection of the College’s Party Committees, Board of directors, party committees, and commands at all levels are determinants of quality and effectiveness. Thus, leaders and commanders at all levels must grasp the resolutions and directives namely the 13^th National Party Congress Resolution, the 11^th Military Party Congress, Project on “Enhancing the competencies of lecturers and educational administrators at tertiary education institutions to meet the requirements of basically and comprehensively renewing education and training” according to Decision No.  89/QĐ-TTg issued on January 18^th, 2019 by the Prime Minister; directions, objectives, tasks, and measures to develop education and training in the Army until 2030 and beyond; Project on building a contingent of lecturers and educational administrators to meet the requirements of comprehensively renewing education and training in the Army in the 2020-2030 period, etc. Accordingly, party committees and presiding cadres at all levels should raise their awareness and consider tasks as the key stage that determines education and training quality, thereby putting forward effective guidelines, measures, plans, and training programmes. In the processing of the tasks, it is necessary to predicate upon the actual situation and characteristics of trainees to design plans and measures to appropriately and effectively renew the training. Party committees and commands of faculties and functional agencies in the College should well perform their advisory work to deal with any drawbacks while training lecturers and educational administrators; combine modes of training including practical experience. At the same time, emphasis should be put on inspecting, supervising, periodically reviewing, summarising, and lesson drawing to improve the competencies and quality of the lecturers and educational administrators.

Secondly, paying attention to planning, training, and standardising the contingent of lecturers and educational administrators to satisfy the task requirements. This crucial content is of utmost significance in enhancing the quality of lecturers and educational administrators in the immediate future and the long run. Therefore, party committees and commands at all levels should keep on checking and evaluating lecturers and educational administrators to lay a foundation for cadre planning and ensure appropriate structure and successors. In parallel with planning, employing, and training, the College should actively send cadres and lecturers on fact-finding trips to both military and civilian academies, universities, and colleges, so that they can stand a chance to increase their competencies and practical experience. It is necessary to flexibly apply regimes and measures of planning cadres and lecturers; choose good and excellent graduates, competent and qualified cadres, etc. from military and civilian units and colleges to supplement for teacher and administrator staff. Additionally, the implementation of “standardising” titles, properly evaluating and exploiting competencies and qualifications should be accelerated to create a motive for striving. The process of assessing, commenting, appointing, and arranging cadres and lecturers must be conducted in a serious, accurate, and proper manner.

Thirdly, focusing on comprehensively training lecturers and educational administrators in qualification, managerial and pedagogic skills, and practical experience. The training must be based on practical demands, objectives, the requirements in renewing education and training, professional requirements, and cadres’ competencies so that the College can identify appropriate modes of training. As for the contents, it is necessary to foster pedagogic skills for lecturers as well as improve their competencies in commanding and advising, and conducting party work, political work. Importance should be attached to combining education and training with improving independent thinking, creativity, and scientific research; providing knowledge with enhancing professional competence. As for educational administrators, it is demanded that they acquire knowledge, skills, and experience in leading, commanding, and managing soldiers. At the same time, they should be provided with contents, measures, and experience in building party committees and party cells, training contingent of party members, conducting Party discipline inspection, cadre planning, experience in training, combat readiness, building regularity, discipline observance, regulations on managing, maintaining, and using weapons and equipment, etc.

Approaches to training such as delivering lectures, discussion, oral tests, observation, practice, etc. should be applied to appropriate trainees. The training of comprehensive knowledge for lecturers and educational administrators should be accelerated through approaches such as attending courses for post-graduate and pedagogic certificates; combining training and retraining to supplement and update new knowledge, especially subjects and disciplines having rapid development in theory and practice; encouraging cadres’ and lecturers’ learning autonomy, especially leading cadres and lecturers, successors, etc. to satisfy the requirement of improving the quality of managing, teaching, studying, etc.

In addition to the aforementioned, it is necessary to well implement the regimes, and policies and enhance the material and spiritual life of lecturers and educational administrators for their commitment to tasks. Emphasis should be placed on emulation and commendation with specific forms of reward and honour; building and duplicating excellent collectives and individuals, effective paradigms, and role models in education and training; at the same time, creating favourable conditions for lecturers and educational administrators, encourage their professional talents, and striving for their accomplishment of the responsibility as a lecturer for the cause of “cultivating people”.

Senior Colonel, M.A. NGUYEN DUNG, Chief of Political Department of the Army Officer College No.2