Keywords: Provincial political schools; building a contingent of leaders and managers at political schools.

Provincial political schools have the function of organizing training and refresher courses for leaders and managers of the grassroots political system, and local cadres and officials. Their curricula focus on political and administrative theories; Party guidelines, State’s policies and laws; professional knowledge about the building of the Party, government, Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations; and knowledge of some other aspects. They are also assigned with the task of summarizing realities, and conducting scientific research on the Party building and the local political system. Trainees include leaders and managers of the Party, government, Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations; managers or vice managers of departments and sectors at district and provincial levels, People’s Council deputies at district and commune levels, and some others under the direction of the provincial Party Committee. Beside their core training program on intermediate level political-administrative theory, provincial political schools also provide other programs for specialists, key specialists, refresher courses for the object No.4 under Regulation No.164 - QD/TW dated 1 February 2013 of the Politburo, as well as other refresher courses assigned by competent authorities. These schools also foster professional skills and teaching methods for political training teachers at district level. Given their mentioned-above important roles and functions, specific requirements are needed to build up the contingent of their leaders and managers.

The Party’s viewpoint on this issue is shown mainly in the following contents:

Firstly, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat decides the fundamental issues regarding the functions, tasks and organizational apparatus of the political schools in provinces and centrally-governed cities. These guiding principles aim to unify the leadership of the training and fostering of cadres in general, and the provincial political schools in particular.

The building of the contingent of leaders and managers for the provincial political school system must be prioritized in the course of building, developing and organizing provincial political schools. The important issue is that this viewpoint must be realized in all political schools, with due attention and practical agendas from all the provincial and municipal Party committees.

At its 9th Congress (2001), the Party determined: to build and rectify the system of political academies, schools and centers; to improve the quality and effectiveness of training and fostering cadres, first and foremost leaders and managers at all levels have to fight against negative manifestations in teaching and learning.

Secondly, the Central Organization Committee should provide instructions on the organizational structure and personnel work of the provincial political school system. On the basis of the new decision of the Party Secretariat on the functions, tasks and organizational apparatus of the political schools in provinces and centrally-governed cities, the implementation of Resolution No. 39-NQ / TW dated April 17, 2015 of the Politburo (11th tenure) on streamlining the staff and restructuring the pool of cadres, the Resolution of the 6th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee, the Central Organization Committee should devise detailed instructions on the number of vice principals, leaders of faculties and departments to ensure consistency throughout the whole country (taking into account the characteristics of Hanoi Capital, Ho Chi Minh City and populous provinces like Thanh Hoa, or Nghe An). This is necessary, because over the past years, many provincial and municipal Party committees have unreasonably appointed leaders and managers of their provincial political schools. Some had short term of office; some were not qualified, regarding leadership and management capacity; some others were even incapable of teaching, doing scientific research, or summarizing practice. This situation has greatly affected the position, role and reputation of these schools.

Many provincial political schools have “too many” vice principals (in particular, there are schools which have up to six vice-principals). While guiding localities to reorganize the leadership and management apparatus of the provincial political school system, the Central Organization Committee needs to strengthen its inspection and supervision to promptly rectify the inadequate implementation of the regulations of the Party Central Committee.

Thirdly, the Standing Committees of provincial and municipal Party Committees should exercise direct and regular leadership over provincial political schools. The Party Secretariat first emphasized this in Decision No.184 - QD/TW dated September 3, 2008 on the functions, tasks and organizational apparatus of the political schools of provinces and centrally-governed cities, and continued to emphasize it in Conclusion No.117 - KL/TW dated November 20, 2015 of the Secretariat of the 11th Party Central Committee on training and fostering work at political schools in provinces and centrally-governed cities: “Provincial Party Committees, Municipal Party Committees, provincial and municipal People’s Committees should enhance their responsibility in leadership and management over political schools in training and fostering cadres”. On November 13, 2016, the Party Secretariat issued Regulation No. 09-QDi / TW on the functions, tasks and organizational apparatus of the political schools of provinces and centrally-governed cities, under which this was further elaborated as follows: “Provincial and municipal Party Committees directly lead the implementation of training contents, programs and plans for cadres; organizational structure; policies for cadres, lecturers and students; implementation of the management regulation on training and fostering, and investment and funding for operation, and management of the facilities of provincial political schools”. Thus, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat has clearly defined that the leadership and management over provincial political schools should be carried out by the Standing Committees of the provincial and municipal Party Committees respectively on the one hand; on the other, they are also assigned with the task of directly leading and taking responsibility for all aspects of the provincial political schools, including the building of a contingent of leaders and managers for these schools.

In Conclusion No. 117-KL/TW, the Secretariat of the 11th Party Central Committee assigned specific tasks to provincial and municipal Party Committees: “to arrange a contingent of capable leaders, managers and lecturers; create favorable conditions for leaders, managers and lecturers of political schools to go on field trips to localities at grassroots level”. The Secretariat prioritized the appointment of qualified cadres to management of provincial political schools. To that end, provincial and municipal Party Committees should create conditions for leaders and managers of provincial political schools to go on field trips to localities at grassroots level, i.e. undergoing practical training. This is both a policy for cadres and a mandatory requirement, one of the criteria for appointing leaders and managers of provincial political schools. To make this practical training highly effective, provincial political schools need to develop projects in connection with the rotation of cadres. These projects should have appropriate objectives, contents, methods, roadmap, locations, and fundings to be approved by the Standing Committee of the provincial or municipal Party Committee. Such connection between field trips and rotation of cadres and lecturers of political schools in Long An or Ben Tre provinces has proven the effectiveness of this policy.

Provincial and municipal Party committees have direct and regular leadership over provincial political schools. Reality shows that some localities only focus on their socio-economic development but fail to pay due attention to the training and fostering of cadres in general and political schools in particular. Therefore, there are provinces and cities where leaders of political schools are not allowed to join the provincial Party Committee; the board of administrators at political schools are transferred from other agencies, while competent, long-serving staff at the school are not appointed.

The direct and regular leadership of the Standing Committees of provincial and municipal Party Committees over provincial political schools also finds expression in their assignment of a representative from the Standing Committees of provincial  and municipal Party Committees to be directly in charge of political schools. Such appointment will facilitate the prompt management over all aspects of the political schools, and timely report to the Standing Committees of the provincial and municipal Party Committees. In recent years, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics has sent official letters to provincial and municipal Party Committees, requesting them to assign representatives to directly take charge of the provincial political schools. Up to now, most of the provincial political schools throughout the country have received due attention from the provincial and municipal Party Committees, and People’s Committees; the Standing Committees of provincial and municipal Party Committees have worked with the political schools; many secretaries of provincial and municipal Party Committees are directly in charge of political schools. Over the last two years, the appointment of incompetent comrades to the board of administrators of political schools has basically ended.

Fourthly, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics plays an important role in building the contingent of leaders and managers for the provincial political school system. Under the Politburo’s Decision No. 145-QD/TW dated August 8, 2018 on the functions, tasks, authorities and organization of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Academy should: “contribute opinions to the criteria for key leaders of political schools in provinces and centrally-governed cities”. Therefore, the Academy should devise a set of criteria for provincial political schools, in which the criteria for job titles and descriptions for key leaders play a decisive role. In order for the key leaders of political schools to meet the required criteria, the Academy must take initiative in developing programs, contents, methods for training and fostering, and their effective organization for key comrades. The training program and content must be truly renewed, suitable to the subjects, and update the political theoretical knowledge, guidelines and policies of the Party, policies and laws of the State and enhance knowledge of the management associated with job titles and positions, combining learning leadership experience of the world with field trips to localities, and designing and defending projects in a reasonable way.

Finally, many provincial and municipal Party Committees have practical guidelines and policies for training and fostering at provincial political schools in general, the building of their leaders and managers in particular. The most obvious manifestation is the appointment of members of provincial and municipal Party Committees to be principals of political schools (Hanoi City Party Committee stipulates that one of the criteria for somebody to be appointed as the Principal of Le Hong Phong Cadre Training School is that he/she must be a member of the City Party Committee). Some provinces and cities even appoint the principals or vice principals of political schools to the provincial and municipal People’s Councils. Some other provinces and cities rotate leaders and managers of political schools to various positions at district or provincial offices. After holding these positions for a while, they can return to their schools to hold higher positions (Dak Lak, Long An, or Ben Tre provinces).

The Party’s viewpoints and policies on building the contingent of leaders and managers for provincial political school system over the past years have become decisive factors to improve the quality of training, fostering and scientific research, as well as summarizing reality in the political schools throughout the country.

Assoc. Prof., Dr. Truong Thi Thong

Dr. Nguyen Van Thang

Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics