Breakthrough from new thinking and models

Faced with the increasingly high demand for quality training of political cadres for the entire army, innovation in leadership, direction and organization of emulation movements at the Academy of Politics is an urgent requirement. Concerned about the fact that the content, form and method of implementing the Emulation Movement to Win still have formal manifestations and have not really gone into depth, the Political Department has proactively researched and advised the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the Academy to build and deploy a breakthrough model, called "3 connections - 4 breakthroughs".

Colonel, Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Thanh Trung, Head of the Academy of Politics, shared: “The core point and also the soul of this model is to take the emulation movement away from formal expression, closely linked to the breath of practical tasks. We determine that each emulation activity is not only a race for achievements, but also a channel for profound ideological education , a practical training environment to foster the mettle, ethics, intelligence and style of the team of cadres, lecturers and students”.

The Party Committee Conference of the Political Department, Academy of Politics issued a resolution to lead the implementation of tasks for the 2025-2026 school year.

Accordingly, the structure of the model is built on a solid foundation and clear breakthroughs. “3 connections” is the foundation, creating harmony and resonance of power: . On that solid foundation, “4 breakthroughs” are considered as “accelerating engines”: ; thereby, the emulation movement becomes a vivid, exemplary practical lesson, directly contributing to improving the quality of training and fostering political cadres, political commissars, political officers, and political leaders in agencies and units throughout the army.

Major General Vu Duc Long, Deputy Commissar of the Academy of Politics, assessed: “As an advisory body, assisting the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, the Political Department not only stops at advising, directing, and guiding the organization of the movement but also directly advises, designs the content and implementation methods in a creative, flexible, and appropriate manner for each agency and unit. Thanks to that, the emulation movement has truly become a strong, continuous flow, penetrating into every “corner” of the Academy.”

Competition becomes the driving force for thinking and action.

Before the model of "3 connections - 4 breakthroughs" came into life, it cannot be denied that the Emulation Movement for Victory at the Academy had a time when it could not promote the strengths and potentials of groups and individuals; some activities did not really touch the needs and thoughts of students. Major Nguyen Van Hoa, a student of the Political Cadre Training System at the tactical and campaign levels, recalled: "When I first entered school, many comrades and I used to think that emulation was mainly about targets and scores on paper. But since the new model came into life, each movement has been associated with daily learning and training."

Activities of studying and researching documents at the library of officers and students of the Academy of Politics.

The clearest evidence of this change is the vibrant and practical atmosphere of studying and training at the Academy. During a meeting on the Day of Politics and Spiritual Culture at the Political Department, an open and democratic atmosphere spread throughout the hall. When Major Tran Thi Xuyen, Women's Assistant, shared about her journey participating in the Political Writing Contest to protect the Party's ideological foundation, many comrades listened attentively. Real stories about reading documents until late at night, heated debates with teammates, or times of facing and directly fighting against the distorted arguments on social networks of reactionary forces have clarified the remarkable maturity of a young cadre. Behind that maturity is the mark of a properly oriented and in-depth emulation movement.

At the Academy of Politics today, emulation activities have become lively "extended political lessons". At the Training Department, instead of somewhat dry discussions, the writing contest "Deep memories with teachers and comrades" on the occasion of Vietnam Teachers' Day has created a space for sincere sharing. Simple stories about the dedication of teachers, about the camaraderie and solidarity of comrades have sown in the hearts of each student the love, trust, and attachment, affirming the value of studying and training under the political roof of the army.

At the Graduate Training System, the emulation movement is closely linked to scientific research. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Tai Tien, a student who won the A prize in the Political Essay Competition on Protecting the Ideological Foundation at the military level, confided: “In the past, I was quite confused when choosing a topic to write an article to refute false arguments on the Internet. But thanks to the emulation movements and guidance from superiors, I have had the opportunity to practice, participate in writing articles and debates, and now I am much more confident. This is how the Academy has helped us become more steadfast in our political stance.”

A strong mark in the Emulation Movement for Victory

Compared to the previous period, when the competition was sometimes "heavy on scores, light on efficiency", now, thanks to the model of "3 connections - 4 breakthroughs", the movement has gone into depth, becoming a driving force to improve the results of completing the tasks of the entire Academy. In the past 5 years, the Political Department has advised the Party Committee Standing Committee and the Academy's Board of Directors to deploy many creative models such as: "Good teaching hours, good lectures", "Good management, good study, good training"... These models not only raise political awareness but also contribute to forming a disciplined and regular lifestyle, building a model pedagogical environment.

In the 2024-2025 school year, the Victory Emulation Movement has created a strong driving force for the Academy to continue to affirm its comprehensive results: Building 4 new training programs for divisional political commissars and equivalent; completing 1 training program for lieutenant and brigade political commissars; reviewing and updating 18 postgraduate training programs; supplementing content related to the organization of the payroll in the political system and the Army.

Many measures to improve the quality of teaching at the Academy of Politics originate from the "correct and accurate" advice of the Political Department.

Implementing the breakthrough of “Improving the quality and effectiveness of using active teaching methods”, the Academy organizes training courses for lecturers and students, focusing on the “flipped classroom” model, “reversed” and “inquiry” teaching methods, taking learners as the center. Thanks to that, the graduation rate of excellent, good and fair grades reached 95.84%, affirming the stable and solid training quality.

In scientific research, it has advised on innovation and creativity in implementing the movement of "good scientific research". The Academy has implemented 247 topics at all levels, accepted 118 topics, of which 114 topics achieved Excellent, especially 2 topics at the National level. Many topics have high theoretical and practical value. Notably, students of the Academy won 2 Second prizes, 8 Third prizes, 2 Encouragement prizes at the 25th "Creative Youth" Award in the Army. In particular, new methods such as the "flipped classroom" model not only affirm the value of the Academy of Politics but also become valuable experiences for other academies and schools in the entire army to refer to and apply. The proactive and creative advice of the Political Department has proven that when emulation is associated with innovation in teaching methods, scientific research and building a pedagogical environment, the movement will create a strong spread, positively impacting the entire education and training process.

Senior Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, spoke at the meeting to evaluate and accept the research results of the topic "Combining socio-economic development with national defense, security and foreign affairs in Vietnam in the new context" chaired by the Academy of Politics.

Colonel, Dr. Bui Xuan Quynh, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Marxist-Leninist Philosophy, emphasized: “The achievement of this result is thanks to the systematic consultation work of the Political Department. The Department has clearly oriented: Each research topic must originate from the practical requirements of building the Army, associated with training in political thinking and theory for students, ensuring the motto "the training result of the school is the combat readiness of the unit. That is the difference".

Along with that, the Academy promotes modernization, digital transformation, and builds the criteria of "smart, modern school". The team of teachers and educational managers are regularly trained to meet both immediate and long-term requirements. Party and political work closely follows the tasks, focusing on building a clean and strong Party organization; a comprehensively strong unit that is "exemplary and typical".

At the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year of the Academy, Senior Lieutenant General Truong Thien To, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, emphasized: "Each student of the Political Academy needs to determine the right motivation, attitude, and responsibility for learning; turn the training process into a self-training process; strive to practice the mettle, intelligence, methods, and style of a leader and political manager in the army." That advice is also the goal of each student and each collective in the Academy.

Senior Lieutenant General Truong Thien To, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, encouraged female officers and professional soldiers of the Academy of Politics at the opening ceremony of the 2025-2026 school year.

It can be affirmed that the model of "3 connections - 4 breakthroughs" has brought the Emulation Movement to Victory of the Academy of Politics to a new level. Not only is it a driving force to complete the central political task, the model also contributes directly to training and fostering the future team of political cadres, political commissars, political officers, and political cadres who will take on the "key" role in building a politically strong Army, firmly protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.

With the mark of "3 connections - 4 breakthroughs", the Political Department, Political Academy not only maintains its position as a typical and advanced model at the Ministry of National Defense level, but also contributes to building a smart and modern Academy, creating a common innovation trend in the current military school system: Substantive, modern, humane, linking training with training in political and ideological qualities for officers and students.

Article and photos: MANH THUY - DUY HUNG

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/lan-toa-suc-manh-tu-mo-hinh-3-gan-ket-4-dot-pha-o-hoc-vien-chinh-tri-848323