The "test" to assess the quality of political teaching staff

This is a comprehensive "assessment" to evaluate the quality of political instructors in various units, providing a basis for formulating fundamental solutions to improve the skills and capabilities of this workforce; contributing to enhancing the quality of propaganda, education, ideological guidance, and the struggle to protect the Party's ideological foundation, meeting the requirements of building the Army in general, and the Armed Forces of Military Region 5 in particular, in the new situation.

In mid-May, the weather at the National Military Training Center II (Tay Son district, Binh Dinh province), where the competition took place, was hot and humid. However, 102 outstanding contestants, selected from grassroots units throughout the Military Region, enthusiastically competed in three parts: knowledge, lesson planning, and practical teaching and situation handling. The content of the lectures revolved around the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, resolutions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Central Military Commission; the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style; striving to be worthy of the title of "Ho Chi Minh's Soldiers"; and topics in the political education program for officers and professional soldiers…

Immersed in the atmosphere of the competition, we observed that all contestants had meticulously prepared their outlines and presentations, featuring vivid visual models, combining presentations with PowerPoint slides; the content was relevant and practical, and had a good ideological orientation. The lecture outline on propaganda and mobilization work by militia forces in resolving complex situations in the locality, presented by Comrade Tran Thi Hai Yen - Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of the Military Command of Cu M'gar commune, Cu M'gar district, Dak Lak province - was highly appreciated by the judging panel. Her teaching demonstration impressed the judges, leaving a positive impression and attracting the attention of the officers and contestants.

Besides the practical value of the topic, the lecture structure is tight and in-depth. In her teaching, she also incorporates vivid visual presentations and clear explanations. Comrade Tran Thi Hai Yen stated: “In the current situation, strengthening the education of militia officers and soldiers is very important. The syllabus I chose contributes to raising awareness and clearly defining the responsibilities of the militia in carrying out mass mobilization work, participating in building a strong and comprehensive foundation, and combating reactionary and erroneous views that undermine national unity.”

As the youngest contestant (24 years old) participating in this year's competition, Lieutenant Nguyen Huy Hoang - Deputy Political Officer of the 90th Mixed Company, Khanh Hoa Provincial Military Command, shared: “At this competition, we received guidance and feedback from the unit commander, the Organizing Committee, and the Judging Panel on the content, form, and methods of teaching to improve effectiveness, making it easier for listeners to understand, remember, and absorb the material. Through this competition, with the knowledge gained, I will continue to study and practice my skills and methods, contributing to improving the quality of political education at the unit.”

With his expressive voice and presentation style, using practical examples to illustrate and clarify issues in his lecture on "Strengthening Party Building and Rectification for New Party Members," Major Duong Quang Trung, Political Officer of Battalion 72, Regiment 885, Quang Nam Provincial Military Command, left a deep impression at the competition. He shared: "I want to emphasize that in addition to strictly adhering to the 19 things that Party members are not allowed to do as outlined in Regulation No. 37-QĐ/TW of the Central Committee, each Party member needs to pay attention to fulfilling their responsibility to set an example and doing a good job of mobilizing their family and friends to strictly abide by the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws."

As one of the four first-prize winners at the competition, Senior Lieutenant Hoang Minh Tuan, Political Officer of Company 12, Battalion 3, Division 315, excitedly said: “To achieve such high results, besides practicing and deviating from lesson plans and lectures, I spent a lot of time researching how to prepare electronic lectures, PowerPoint presentations, images, and videos in a way that was appropriate to the content and engaging for the audience. For unclear issues, I actively consulted, learned, and sought guidance from superiors and comrades. As a result, I mastered my lecture and presentation skills, contributing to improving the quality of my lectures.”

According to Lieutenant Colonel Pham Hai Minh, Deputy Political Commissar of the 315th Division, all three officers from the Division participated in this year's competition and achieved high rankings (1 first prize, 1 second prize, and 1 third prize). This success was achieved thanks to the unit's thorough preparation and organization of the competition from the grassroots level, including the selection of a team to participate in the Military Region-level competition. During the preparation and practice of the lectures, the unit assigned experienced and highly qualified officers to provide feedback on the content of the lecture outline; the presentation methods and style; and the practical application of the material to the unit's situation and the Army's mission. In addition, the Division deployed the contestants to deliver lectures directly to grassroots agencies and units, thereby both educating officers and soldiers to deeply understand the lecture content and training the instructors' psychological resilience and confidence.

According to the Organizing Committee's assessment, most contestants prepared lectures with appropriate structure and content, correctly identifying the key points; allocating time reasonably for each section and the entire lecture; many submitted lectures were meticulously prepared and of good quality; the presentations had beautiful effects, clearly conveying the content and theme; 100% of the political lectures included visual educational models to support direct teaching in the hall and to serve as supplementary activities, guiding discussions, and reviewing after the lecture; many contestants answered 100% of the multiple-choice questions correctly... At the end of the competition, the Organizing Committee awarded 4 first prizes, 8 second prizes, and 12 third prizes to the contestants with the highest achievements.

The 10th Excellent Political Education Instructor Competition in 2023 has been spreading widely among officers and soldiers in the Armed Forces of Military Region 5, creating positive changes in awareness, responsibility, and leadership capacity in directing, organizing, and managing political education at the grassroots level by Party committees and commanders of agencies and units. This further innovates and improves the quality and effectiveness of political education work in units during the new period.

Text and photos: LE TAY

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