Vietnam National University of Agriculture is a training centre of high-quality human resources, scientific research, technological development and new knowledge transference, contributing effectively to the country’s development of agriculture, countryside and international integration.

In recent years, together with intensely improving the quality of specialised training, the University has paid attention to employing synchronous solutions for improving the quality of defence and security education to equip its students with basic awareness, knowledge and skills in the fields of defence and security, clearly understanding their responsibilities and duties on building and safeguarding the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Marching of students in the course-end ceremony

The quality of education and training in general, the one of defence and security education in particular is attributed to many factors, in which cadres and lecturers play a specially important part. Clearly understanding this, the University pays frequent attention to cultivating this contingent with the sufficient quantity, standardised quality, inheritance and development, meeting the demands in the short and long terms. Presently, all its defence and security lecturers have been selected from either seconded officers of the Tank-Armour Corps or other contracted lecturers. Accordingly, to have enough lecturers, in recent years, the University has strictly coordinated with the Political Department of the Corps to select suitable cadres for the Faculty of Defence and Security Education. At the same time, it seeks to recruit contracted lecturers from different sources, with priority being given to the demobilised or retired military officers who meet the teaching standards and subject requirements. Together with ensuring sufficient quantity, the University also pays attention to training by various forms and solutions in order to gradually standardise and improve the quality of this staff.

It has directed the Faculty of Defence and Security Education to prioritise on-the-job training, focusing on improving the quality of lecturers both in their professional and managerial capability; strictly maintain the pedagogical activities, e.g. the approval of lesson plans, mock lessons, etc. Especially, on a yearly basis, it holds excellent lecturer competition, taking it as an important solution for all cadres and lecturers to learn and exchange teaching experience, improve professional skills, competencies and styles. Besides, it creates conditions for all cadres and lecturers to get professional training or attend other training courses by the Department of National Defence and Security Education, Hanoi Capital Command, and the Tank-Armour Corps so that they could improve their competence and qualification to meet standards; building a favourable and equal working environment with various development prospects; encouraging all cadres and lecturers to self-study, self-research and apply modern methods and teaching aids; well conducting the policy work, building suitable policies on employment benefits in order to keep and attract more staff who have moral qualities and professional competence. With such effective solutions, so far, 100% lecturers of the Faculty have gained university degrees, meeting all professional and specialised standards, 30% of whom hold postgraduate degrees. This is an important foundation for the University to improve the quality of defence and security education in the forthcoming time.

Defence and security education is a difficult and challenging subject requiring both studying and training. In order to make it interesting to students and improve the lesson quality, the University has promoted the innovation of teaching methods, bringing into the highest play the learners’ activeness. Strictly following Circular No. 05/2020/TT-BGDĐT, dated 18 March 2020 by the Ministry of Education and Training on the Programme of defence and security education in teacher training colleges and tertiary educational institutions, the University has directed the Faculty of Defence and Security Education to regularly include new viewpoints and guidelines of the Party, policies and law of the State on defence, security, national protection and current situations of the country into the lessons, at the same time, required the contingent of lecturers to include in their lesson plans and lectures several pictures, documentaries and real activities of defence and security carried out by ministries, sectors and localities, especially the fields of students’ majors in order to “soften” the knowledge and combine theories with reality, making the lessons interesting and easy to be remembered for students. When giving lessons, lecturers have intensely applied interactive teaching methods to create a democratic and open environment for knowledge exchange and discussion; promote the interaction between teachers and students, and the students’ self-study and self-research; completely eliminate the one-way transmission of knowledge.

Rifle-training

For practical subjects, the University has directed a close coordination between the theoretical and practical training, the observation of teaching tools, the use of sample movements and modeling teams; applying the principle of simplicity to complexity, etc. so that all students could easily comprehend the basic movements and skills, being the foundation for the practice and coordination within the groups. In practice, lecturers and managing cadres have closely followed the students, firmly held their quality and classifications to timely adjust, coach and train them; divided students into small groups to maximise the training time; guided, demonstrated and corrected any details of difficult subjects that students have never learnt.

Together, the University has diversified the methods of testing and assessment to assure transparency and avoid score manipulation. The Faculty of Defence and Security Education has regularly built, checked and upgraded their test banks; randomly chose the test and examination contents; flexibly applied different test forms including constructed-response test, selected-response test, oral test, etc. to evaluate the real students’ performances; promoted the application of scientific and technological advances, and digital transformation into the management and statistics of results; timely tackled any violations of education and training regulations. At the same time, it has frequently made summaries and learnt from experience after each course, received feedback from students; timely solved any weaknesses, shortcomings and limitations that could happen in the next courses.

The aim of the subject of defence and security education is to not only equip students with knowledge and skills but also train their will, spirit and discipline. Therefore, the University has enhanced the implementation of the Project on “Applying military environment in the students’ dormitories” so that students could have a real experience of military environment. Accordingly, students are divided into sections, platoons and companies. They are headed and accompanied by the lecturers of the Faculty throughout the course. Before each training course, the University requires all “units” to thoroughly brief and show all students videos on the discipline, daily routines and weekly regulations so that they could understand and follow; fully maintains the daily and weekly orders, regulations and timetables which are defined in the Soldier Management Command, making students familiar with the learning and working environment in the Military in order to enhance their sense of self-discipline, spirit of camaraderie, and military-like style. To support their studying, the University requires an increase in extra-curricular activities, such as: military games, sport competitions, i.e. football, basketball, artistic performances, etc., through which, to enhance the connection between individuals and collectives, the internal solidarity, students’ self-training awareness and self-discipline.

In addition to the above solutions, the University pays attention to investments in teaching and learning facilities, meeting the task development and subject requirements. Over the years, it has managed to build 04 lecture halls, 02 specialised halls, a training ground of nearly 20,000m², 81 rooms with over 800 beds, and 01 mess which can provide nearly 1,000 servings at once, etc. All of these have been installed with appropriate equipment for students’ living and studying. Together, it has promoted the movement of scientific research and initiatives, the innovation of learning models and tools, and the technological advances in compiling training textbooks and documents. Meanwhile, students are encouraged to raise their responsibility, strictly maintain the regulations on weapons and equipment handling, the ones used by students particularly, avoiding any damage due to irresponsibility.

By means of those synchronous solutions, since 2021, the University has trained and granted the certificate of defence and security education for over 22,500 students with over 97% being passed, and over 60% of whom being rated good and excellent, which has been considered one of the leading facilities in defence and security education among all academies and universities throughout the country. Bringing into play the achieved experience and results, in the forthcoming time, the Vietnam National University of Agriculture continues to synchronously deploy solutions to improve the quality of education and training generally, the defence and security education in particular, contributing to supply the quality human resources for the cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland in the new era.

Senior Col, MA. NGUYEN VAN MAO, Dean of Defence and Security Education Faculty