JOINT CIRCULAR No. 107/LB-QD-DH ON THE TRAINING OF RESERVE OFFICERS AMONG STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

CIRCULAR

JOINT MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE - HIGHER EDUCATION DECREE NO. 107/LB-QP-ĐH ON JANUARY 21, 1980 REGARDING THE TRAINING OF RESERVE OFFICERS AMONG STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
TRAINING OF RESERVE OFFICERS AMONG STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

Implementing Decree No. 219-CP dated December 28, 1961 of the Council of Ministers on military training for reserve forces and self-defense militia, and Directive No. 387-TTg dated December 27, 1979 of the Prime Minister on the training of reserve officers among students in universities.

To implement the goal of comprehensively training a cadre of scientific, technical, and professional personnel to serve both tasks of construction and national defense, while bringing the training of reserve officers among university students into a long-term, regulated system in accordance with state regulations.

Based on actual capacity and results, experience from the 1979 training, the two Ministries of National Defense and Higher Education issue this joint circular, determining fundamental issues regarding the training of reserve officers among university students as follows:

I. TASKS AND OBJECTIVES OF TRAINING
RESERVE OFFICERS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
1. Contributing to the implementation of the comprehensive training goal of scientific, technical, and professional cadres in accordance with the spirit of educational reform; the training of reserve officers among university students aims to cultivate basic knowledge about military science (theory and practice) for students so that upon graduation, when necessary, they can fulfill their duty to defend the country in the position of a People's Army of Vietnam officer. Specifically, it aims to ensure that university and college students master general knowledge and perform well in basic contents according to the responsibilities of a junior officer, while on the basis of the scientific, technical, and specialized knowledge they have learned, further cultivate knowledge and skills in using military equipment, military engineering, and branch-specific techniques to command military units and specialized technical services, thereby preparing a contingent of reserve officers to meet the requirements of force construction and combat.

2. For students in teacher training universities, in addition to training them as reserve officers, it must also ensure that upon graduation, they have the ability to participate in military training and build and cultivate military lifestyles for secondary school students to supplement the military teacher workforce in secondary schools.

II. POLICIES AND IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES

A. TARGETS FOR TRAINING RESERVE OFFICERS AMONG UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

In the long term, complete training programs for reserve officers will be conducted for all university and college students. However, in the near term, due to limitations in organizational training capacity, teaching staff, and material resources, and to ensure training quality, temporary measures will continue to be implemented as currently practiced. Specifically:

1. Continue to supplement and strengthen content in the training program for soldiers that students have not yet studied, or have studied but with weak quality, and add content from the training program for squad leaders for all university and college students.

2. Gradually expand the implementation of the complete training program for reserve officers among university and college students. In the short term, in 1980, training will be conducted at 32 northern universities and pilot training will be carried out at 3 southern universities.

3. Simultaneously with training students as reserve officers, universities may assign their staff and teachers to participate in reserve officer training to prepare a military teacher workforce for the university. The number of these individuals will be included in the quota of students trained as reserve officers assigned to the university.

B. TRAINING PROGRAM AND TIMEFRAME

1. Incorporate the reserve officer training program into the regular curriculum of universities and colleges to closely integrate political education, military training, and branch-specific technical training with the content taught in science, technology, and professional courses, aiming to develop a comprehensive training program for university and college students serving both construction and national defense tasks.

2. Based on implementing the educational reform resolution of the Political Bureau, relevant agencies of the two ministries and universities will study and build a complete, systematic, and continuous military education and training program for students from secondary to higher education levels. In the short term, in 1980, based on the experience of 1979 training, relevant departments of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training will research and supplement the reserve officer training content to improve training quality. For graduating classes, concentrated military training of two to three months will still be required at the end of the course. After successfully defending their graduation thesis, sufficient time will be allocated to complete the reserve officer training program as in 1979, and this period will be counted as part of the regular curriculum.

For new entrants to the university, immediately implement the integration of the reserve officer training program into the regular curriculum as stipulated by the state. The Ministry of National Defense will uniformly direct the training program and content for reserve officers. The arrangement and adjustment of the schedule will be jointly directed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Vocational Training and other ministries with universities.

C. ORGANIZATION OF TRAINING

1. Organize the training of the reserve officer program directly, comprehensively, and uniformly under the leadership of the university president.

1. Organization shall immediately implement the reserve officer training program at universities and colleges under the direct, comprehensive, and unified guidance of the Rector of the university or college.

2. In the long term, military departments will be organized in universities and colleges with dedicated military teaching staff, along with the participation of combining military technical content in the scientific and technical content taught by other departmental teachers to enable the schools to independently undertake the training of reserve officer programs for their own students. In the short term, in 1980 and subsequent years until military departments can be established in universities and colleges, military schools assigned to train will dispatch cadres and teachers to universities to direct, organize, and conduct training as in 1979.

3. Apart from the cadres and teachers dispatched by the military, universities and colleges need to utilize the existing military teaching staff, military affairs department cadres, and temporarily assigned military teachers, or current reserve officers of the school to participate in teaching and managing students. In cases where it is necessary to use reserve officers and military teachers who are former officers transferred to civilian positions to directly and regularly serve as cadre frameworks managing students in concentrated reserve officer training classes during the final phase of the course, these individuals shall enjoy the benefits as stipulated in Article 45 of Law 109 on the service conditions of officers and wear military insignia as provided in that article.

D. SOME OTHER ISSUES.

1. Regarding the assurance of training and living conditions, this shall be implemented as in 1979 and according to the provisions of Decision No. 1536-QP dated August 15, 1979, of the Ministry of Defense; Circular No. 11-TCTL dated September 6, 1979, of the Ministry of Finance; Directive No. 503-HC dated May 19, 1979, and Instruction No. 698-HC dated July 20, 1979, of the General Logistics Department.

2. The criteria for selecting students to be trained as reserve officers shall be carried out according to the guidance letter No. 161-DB dated June 25, 1979, of the Cadre Department of the Political General Department.

III. SOME REQUIREMENTS FOR DIRECTING IMPLEMENTATION.

1. It is necessary to further intensify propaganda and education work to highlight the significance, importance, and responsibility of cadres, teachers, and staff in all universities and colleges regarding the mission of training reserve officers among university and college students, creating new changes in awareness, responsibility, and determination in implementation, mobilizing the entire school's strength to contribute to the reserve officer training mission.

2. In directing and conducting training, quality must be given utmost importance.

3. Attention should be paid to closely combining immediate tasks with long-term ones, while completing the training mission well in 1980, preparations should be made for the long-term training mission with larger numbers and higher quality in subsequent years. Closely combine training results with management and registration work to ensure timely mobilization when needed.

4. Experiences from 1979 should be applied, and regular reviews should be organized to supplement and continuously improve quality. Great attention must be paid to improving organizational structures and methods of education, training, teaching, and learning to suit student cadets who are university students. Efforts should be made to reduce unnecessary theoretical time and increase practical command, management, and training time according to the responsibilities of an officer in charge of a squad.

5. Attention should be paid to promoting the results of reserve officer training classes in schools to further strengthen and cultivate military lifestyles in schools, making students familiar with military lifestyles, laying a good foundation for reserve officer training.