Decision No. 51/2004/QĐ-BNV on the issuance of the Training and Capacity Building Plan for Political Theory Lecturers for the period 2005-2010

PLAN

TRAINING AND IMPROVEMENT OF POLITICAL THEORY TEACHERS FOR THE PERIOD 2005-2010
(Pursuant to Decision No. 51/2004/QĐ-BNV dated July 22, 2004 of the Minister of Home Affairs)

Decision No. 74/2001/QĐ-TTg dated May 7, 2001 of the Prime Minister on approving the plan for training and improving cadres and civil servants for the period 2001-2005 clearly stated the necessity to train and improve the teaching staff for cadre and civil servant training institutions. In the aforementioned Decision, the Prime Minister assigned the Government Organizational and Cadre Department (now the Ministry of Home Affairs) to take the lead and coordinate with relevant agencies to develop a plan for training and improving the teaching staff; and assigned the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy to organize training and enhance knowledge and pedagogical skills for the teaching staff of provincial political schools and other cadre and civil servant training institutions under various ministries and sectors according to the division of responsibilities.

The plan for training and improving political theory teachers for the period 2005-2010 is an implementation activity of the Prime Minister's Decision aimed at training and improving the political theory teaching staff to initially meet the requirements of tasks in the new era.

The subjects of this plan include: teachers currently performing teaching duties in specialized fields of Marxist-Leninist theory and Ho Chi Minh thought within the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, the National Administration Academy, provincial political schools, and cadre and civil servant training institutions under various ministries and sectors.

I. CURRENT STATUS OF THE TEACHING STAFF AND REQUIREMENTS FOR TRAINING AND IMPROVEMENT

1.1. CURRENT STATUS OF POLITICAL THEORY TEACHERS (LLCT):

- The number of political theory teachers of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, the National Administration Academy, provincial political schools, and cadre and civil servant training institutions under various ministries and sectors is currently 2027 people (statistical data from December 2003), accounting for about 75% of the total number of teachers in these institutions. Among the 2027 political theory teachers, 60 hold senior lecturer positions, 605 hold associate professor positions, and 1362 hold lecturer positions. The distribution of political theory teachers is as follows:

Regarding age structure: the number of political theory teachers under 30 years old and over 50 years old is relatively balanced and reasonable. This is due to the recent emphasis by cadre and civil servant training institutions on selecting young cadres to replace retiring teachers. However, the number of teachers aged 31-40 is low, and some training institutions have experienced shortages in this age group. This requires rapid training and improvement of teachers under 30 years old to address these shortages. The age structure of the political theory teacher team is as follows:

Regarding professional qualifications: among the 2027 political theory teachers, 334 have doctoral degrees, 605 have master's degrees (or postgraduate specialization), and 1088 have bachelor's degrees. Regarding political theory qualifications: 1050 have advanced political theory qualifications and equivalent, and 977 have intermediate political theory qualifications and equivalent. The specific professional and political theory qualifications of political theory teachers are as follows:

In reality, the political theory teacher team has been trained from various sources with different specialties due to recruitment and deployment practices that have not always been standardized, so many teachers are currently teaching specialties different from those they were trained in at university (as universities only offer broad specialties). Specifically, out of the 2027 political theory teachers, 30% are currently teaching specialties that do not match their university training. Additionally, there are 977 political theory teachers who have not completed the advanced political theory program, especially at the Institutes under the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, provincial political schools, and ministry and sector training schools.

Regarding teaching methods, only 1020 out of the 2027 political theory teachers (50.32%) have received pedagogical training (these teachers were trained in teacher training colleges, and some attended short-term courses), including 300 who have received training in modern teaching methods. The remaining 1007 teachers have not received general pedagogical training, and 1727 have not been exposed to modern teaching methods.

According to evaluations by cadre and civil servant training institutions, currently, approximately 25% of political theory teachers do not meet the required standards. Furthermore, around 20% of teachers receiving salaries are unable to teach classes or only participate in seminar guidance. Thus, only 55% of political theory teachers are truly qualified to teach. Among those currently teaching, 80% still use traditional methods. Survey data shows that despite the numerous shortcomings in the political theory teacher team as mentioned above, 51 out of 64 provincial political schools still lack political theory teachers.

From the analysis above, it can be generally assessed that the main limitations of the current political theory teacher team are:

- Lack of leading experts in political theory;

- Lack of in-depth knowledge of Marxist-Leninist classics and Ho Chi Minh thoughts;

- A portion of the teachers, particularly younger ones without practical experience, lack necessary knowledge about leadership and management work while they are teaching leadership and management to cadres and civil servants;

- A significant portion has not been standardized according to the university-level teacher standards.

- Weakness in teaching methods.

1.2. Training and enhancement needs of LLCT lecturers:

Statistical data shows that there are various types ofneeds: the need for specialized training at postgraduate levels (Doctorate,Master's); the need to enhance political theory level (Political Bachelor,Central Political Theory Advanced); the need for specialized field transfertraining; the need for deepening knowledge on Marxist-Leninist classics andHo Chi Minh thoughts; the need to update new knowledge and the need forteaching method enhancement. Specifically at the Ho Chi Minh National Academyof Politics, there is also the need for practical training through fieldwork(assigning lecturers to work in Ministries, Departments, or localities) andthe need for foreign language and computer training, which includes:

- The need for postgraduate specialized knowledge training:among the 605 LLCT lecturers with Master's degrees, 400 people have the needto be trained at the Doctorate level. As for lecturers with Bachelor'sdegrees (1,080 people), they generally have the need to be trained at thepostgraduate level in a specific political theory field.

- The need to enhance political theory level: among the977 LLCT lecturers who have not yet completed the Central Political TheoryAdvanced program, 107 people have the need to study this program.

- The need for specialized field transfer training: 337people have the need to be trained as Political Bachelors through a transferprogram.

- The need for enhancing deep knowledge on Marxist-Leninistclassics and Ho Chi Minh thoughts: among the 2,027 LLCT lecturers, 700 peopleneed to enhance their knowledge on these topics.

- The need for updating new knowledge: 900 people havethe need to update their knowledge through different enhancement programs.

- The need for modern teaching method enhancement: out of1,727 people who require this enhancement, 300 have already been trained inmodern teaching methods.

- The need for training through practical work atMinistries, Departments, or localities: at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy ofPolitics, 263 LLCT lecturers with Doctorate degrees, 267 with Master's degreesand 56 with Professor or Associate Professor titles have this need; amongthem, 40% have not had practical experience.

- The need for foreign language and computer training:among the 786 LLCT lecturers at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics,202 have university-level foreign language proficiency or fluency in aforeign language (mainly Russian); 250 have reached Level C in foreignlanguage, including 124 currently studying part-time foreign language at theacademy. Among the rest, 157 people need to be trained in English, 96 needcertification in English Level C or Chinese.

301 LLCT lecturers at the Ho Chi Minh National Academyof Politics have the need for computer training, of whom 210 need training innetwork usage and computer application in teaching.

Therefore, the training and enhancement needs of LLCTlecturers are significant and diverse, requiring appropriate programs andcontent tailored to each individual and type of need. For LLCT lecturers whoneed undergraduate or postgraduate training in political theory fields notcovered by this Plan, such training will be conducted according to the annualundergraduate and postgraduate training plans of the Ho Chi Minh NationalAcademy of Politics approved by the Ministry of Education and Training.

II. Objectives and Training and Enhancement Plan for LLCTLecturers from 2005 to 2010

2.1. General objectives:

- By 2010, significantly improve the overall quality ofthe LLCT lecturer workforce. Ensure that LLCT lecturers are deeply trainedand enhanced in Marxist-Leninist theories and Ho Chi Minh thoughts; receiveenhancement in basic knowledge about Party policies, state laws, and up-to-dateinformation on contemporary world issues, understanding and practicalexperience in national renewal, especially practical knowledge related totheir teaching fields.

- 100% of LLCT lecturers will be trained and enhanced inmodern teaching methods (including those who have already been trained inteachers' colleges) and in foreign languages and computers. Strive for 90% ofLLCT lecturers to meet the standardization requirements set by the Ministryof Education and Training for university lecturers.

- Significantly address the shortage of LLCT lecturers,laying the groundwork for building a successor LLCT lecturer workforce andtop-tier scientific cadres in political theory during the 2010-2020 period.

To achieve these goals, the LLCT lecturer training andenhancement plan will be implemented in two phases: the phase to addressshortages in qualifications and teaching methods (2005-2006) and the phasedealing with basic and advanced training and enhancement (2007-2010).

2.2. Phase 2005-2006

2.2.1. Specific objectives:

- By the end of 2006, ensure that 100% of key lecturersat training institutions who have not been equipped with foundationalknowledge on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thoughts and 40% of lecturerswho have not been trained in modern teaching methods are fully enhanced inthese areas.

- Implement new knowledge updating enhancement for 40% ofcurrent LLCT lecturers.

- Ensure that 40% of young lecturers are trained inbasics of Marxist-Leninist theories and Ho Chi Minh thoughts; 30% of lecturersfrom the pool of top-tier political theory scientific cadres are trainedthrough practical experience, laying the groundwork for further training andenhancement in the 2007-2010 period.

2.2.2. Implementation content:

2.2.2.1. Develop program content, compile textbooks, andbuild a faculty team.

a. Develop program content, compile textbooks:

- Develop and compile textbooks for advanced enhancementclasses on Marxist-Leninist classics and Ho Chi Minh thoughts.

- Develop and compile textbooks for classes on newknowledge updating enhancement (six specializations).

- Develop and compile textbooks for classes on specialfield transfer enhancement (transfer based on three fundamental specializations:Philosophy, Political Economy, Scientific Socialism).

- Establishing the content of programs and plans, sending lecturers to practical training at Ministries, Agencies, Sectors, and localities.

c. Preparing the teaching staff:

Establishing plans to select lecturers with high qualifications and experience from the National Academy of Political Theory and other agencies to participate in teaching.

- Dispatching ten lecturers and training management officials to conduct surveys abroad on modern teaching methods.

2.2.2.2. Organizing and implementing training courses:

a. Advanced course on classical Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought: for key political theory lecturers from units, comprising 180 participants organized into three classes, each lasting three months.

b. Course for updating new knowledge: comprising 600 participants organized into six courses, each lasting three months. The specific timeframes for each course are as follows:

c. Course on general pedagogical methods and modern teaching methods: Total estimated budget for this Plan is 21,840,000,000 VND (Twenty-one billion eight hundred forty million dong), sourced from the training budget for state cadres and civil servants and mobilized from other sources. Among which:

- Budget for establishing program content, compiling, revising, and supplementing textbooks is 2,700,000,000 VND (Two billion seven hundred million dong).

- Training and development budget is: 19,140,000,000 VND (Nineteen billion one hundred forty million dong).

III. Implementation:

5.1. The Ministry of Home Affairs is responsible:

- Urging, monitoring, and inspecting the quality and progress of plan implementation.

- Cooperating with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and related agencies to prepare funds and seek additional sources of funding to ensure adequate financial support for plan implementation.

5.2. The National Academy of Political Theory:

- Leading and coordinating with relevant agencies to implement the contents stipulated in Sections 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 of Part III of this Plan.

- Organizing training courses according to the schedules specified in Sections 2.2, 2.3 of Part II of the Plan, in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and the newly established curriculum; using and settling accounts for the budget in accordance with the plan and state financial regulations.

5.3. Ministries, sectors, and localities: are responsible for directing the Personnel Departments of Ministries, sectors, Provincial Departments of Home Affairs under central cities and provinces, and cadre training institutions to develop plans for selecting appropriate candidates for study in line with long-term usage requirements./.