Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics strengthens and innovates organizational and personnel work, to meet the requirements for tasks in the new period

Assoc. Prof., Dr. NGUYEN DUY BAC
Deputy Party Secretary, Permanent Vice President
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

1. Over the course of 75 years of building and development (1949 - 2024), the Nguyen Ai Quoc Party School, now known as the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, undergone several name changes, organizational restructures, and adjustments to its functions and tasks to meet the demands of each period. In 2014, the Academy returned to its former name, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics after the Academy of Public Administration was separated and became part of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Implementing Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017, on continuing to renovate and rearrange the organization and apparatus of the political system to be more streamlined, effective, and efficient; Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017, on continuing to renovate the organization and management system, improving the quality and efficiency of public service units of the 6th Central Conference, the 12th term and based on the actual conditions of the Academy, the Politburo issued Decision No. 145-QD/TW dated August 8, 2018, on the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics. The Decision clearly states: The Academy is an agency directly under the Party Central Committee; under the direct, comprehensive, and regular leadership and direction of the Politburo and the Secretariat. The Academy is a national center for training and fostering mid- and high-level leaders, managers, and political theory scholars for the Party, the State, and socio-political organizations. It is a national center for scientific research on Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, research on the Party’s and the State’s guidelines, policies, laws, as well as political science, leadership science, and management science to serve teaching and learning, contributing to providing scientific arguments in formulating the Party’s and State’s guidelines and policies.

Decision No. 145 by the Politburo is a milestone, marking a new turning point in the development of the Academy. While the Academy was once under the dual authority of the Party Central Committee and the Government, today it operates solely under the Party Central Committee with its functions and tasks strengthened and its organizational structure changed to suit the new development period.

Implementing the Resolution of the 6th Plenum of the 12th Central Committee, the Party Committee of the Academy issued Resolution No. 16-NQ/DU dated March 14, 2018, to restructure the organizational apparatus of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics to make it leaner, more effective, and more efficient. Therefore, when Decision No. 145-QD/TW by the Politburo was issued, the Academy promptly rearranged its organizational structure to streamline, and enhance effectiveness and efficiency, adhering to the principle of reducing intermediate levels, eliminating departmental redundancies, and not creating new units or departments within divisions. After the reorganization, the number of departments and offices at the Academy’s headquarters was reduced from 134 to 16, while affiliated Academies reduced the number of departments and offices from 123 to 112. Over 250 managerial and leadership positions at the department and equivalent levels were eliminated. A prominent feature of this reorganization was the simultaneous and systematic merging and splitting of units, with clear job definitions for each staff member, public employee, and worker, resulting in notable efficiency and meeting operational demand. The Academy reviewed, adjusted, supplemented, and issued regulations on the functions and tasks of the units under the Academy (according to Decision No. 145 by the Politburo), and transferred dozens of cadres from departments and functional units to the institutes. The affiliated units operate without overlapping or redundancy in functions and tasks, with enhanced coordination in their work relationships.

Following the restructuring, management and operations at all levels stabilized and performed effectively under the new model, yielding positive results. The reforms strengthened systemic integration and ensured closer coordination between departments and work areas, improving operational efficiency. The Academy has enhanced the management system comprehensively in all aspects of work, following the motto: Centralized, unified leadership while promoting decentralization to empower subordinate units to be proactive and creative in performing their functions and tasks. All operations of the Academy and its subordinate units are led and directed by the Party Committee and the Academy’s Board of Directors to ensure consistency across the system while fostering accountability, delegation of authority, coordination, and supervision. These efforts have resulted in the standardization and unification of organizational structures, professional work, party and union activities, and personnel policies. Relationships between units within the Academy, between subordinate units, and political schools have become increasingly cohesive and seamless.

2. To achieve comprehensive and synchronized innovation and efficiency in personnel work, fostering an environment that encourages renewal, creativity, and boldness in decision-making while promoting accountability for the common good, the Academy has reviewed and revised management documents, regulations, and procedures regarding organization and personnel. The Academy builds and reviews management documents, regulations, and rules on organization and personnel work, strictly defining the implementation of all aspects of personnel work, clearly defining the responsibilities of collectives and individuals, especially those of leaders. At the same time, it has tightened discipline and order, promptly addressed and corrected limitations and shortcomings in personnel work. The Academy has focused on amending, supplementing, and formulating new regulations and rules on organization and personnel work to suit the new regulations of the Party, the State, and the practical situation of organization and personnel work. The Academy has established a Southern Representative Office; Committee of Party - Mass Organizations affairs, and the Governing Council of the Academy of Journalism and Communication, and so on.

Personnel work has been identified as a decisive factor in improving the effectiveness of the Academy’s political tasks. Consequently, leadership has been implemented rigorously, objectively, and scientifically, adhering to proper authority and procedures for planning, appointing, reappointing, relieving leadership and management positions, and recruiting and utilizing staff to meet the needs of the organization and its tasks. Personnel planning is carried out carefully and seriously, ensuring strictness, democracy, objectivity, transparency, and compliance with regulations, while maintaining solidarity within the unit. Personnel planning work under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat is carried out seriously, and responsibly, ensuring objectivity and compliance with regulations in order to include qualified and capable cadres in the planning. Reviews and updates have been conducted for planning for the position of Deputy President of the Academy for the 2016-2020 and 2021-2026 terms and plans have been developed for the 2026-2031 term. The Academy has also implemented the Central Committee’s plans for nominating candidates for strategic-level leadership roles for the 2021–2026 term, including nominations for the 14th Central Committee and specialized National Assembly delegates in various bodies of the National Assembly and its Standing Committee. The Academy regularly plans, reviews, and supplements the planning for leaders and managers under the management of the Academy President for the 2021-2026 and 2026-2031 periods. This is an important task that proactively create human resources, as a basis for training, arranging, using, and developing a contingent of cadres to ensure quantity and quality, meeting the requirements of immediate and long-term tasks, promptly serving the work of appointing and reappointing leaders and managers at all levels.

The consolidation of the leadership and management staff at all levels in the Academy has been carried out in a prompt manner. The appointment, re-appointment, and assignment of tasks to leadership and management staff at all levels have been carried out strictly, in accordance with procedures and regulations, ensuring that the conditions and standards of the positions are not “indebted” to standards. Initially, the rotation of leadership staff between affiliated Academies has been implemented according to the hierarchy of staff management, following the requirements of the unit and the tasks. Notably, in 2023, the Academy made a breakthrough in personnel work, for the first time the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of the Academy rotated and appointed 4 Deputy Directors of the regional Academies made up of staff from the Academy headquarters and the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

Implementing the Law on Anti-Corruption and regulations on asset and income disclosure for individuals in positions of authority, the Academy has annually developed plans for disclosure and ensured strict adherence to these requirements. This serves as a basis for personnel management and contributes to preventing and combating corruption and negative behavior. Personnel management for overseas activities has been conducted rigorously. The Party Committee, Board of Directors, and unit heads have consistently prioritized and directed the protection of internal political integrity.

In recent years, key officials of the Academy, especially the President of the Academy, have received high trust from the Party, the State, cadres, party members, and the people. At the 6th Central Conference of the 12th tenure (October 2017), Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Party Central Committee and President of the Academy, was elected to the Party Central Committee Secretariat. In March 2018, the Politburo decided to elect him as Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council. In January 2021, the 13th National Party Congress re-elected him to the Central Executive Committee and the Central Committee elected him as a member of the Politburo. In July 2021, he was elected to the 15th National Assembly for the 2021-2026 term. This is a heavy responsibility and at the same time a great honor for the President of the Academy and the Academy, contributing to enhancing the position and prestige of the Academy, creating conditions for the Academy and the Party School system to successfully complete their tasks in the new development stage.

3. To enhance the training and development of staff and faculty in all aspects, the Academy developed the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Officials, Civil Servants, and Public Employees at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Provincial and Municipal Political Schools for the Period 2019-2030”, which was approved by the Secretariat in principle and by the Prime Minister through Decision No. 587/QD-TTg dated May 17, 2019 (Project 587).

Implementing Project 587, the Academy has developed several projects including Project “Building a contingent of leading experts and scientists”; Project “Training, fostering, using and developing the contingent of young cadres and lecturers of the Academy until 2030, with a vision to 2045”; Project “Sending leaders and managers of the Academy to act as leaders and managers in localities”, and so on. The Academy focuses on comprehensive training and fostering, improving the level of political theory, expertise, and professionalism to ensure standardization in all areas for the contingent of leaders, managers, lecturers, and civil servants. The Academy regularly organizes courses on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, specialized knowledge updates, active teaching methods, foreign languages, information technology, national defense and security knowledge, as well as leadership and management skills. It has completed two undergraduate second-degree programs for political theory lecturers at the Academy and provincial political schools, actively contributing to the pool of qualified personnel and faculty. Training and development for staff and faculty have been implemented flexibly, with a strong focus on improving teaching and learning quality, thereby enhancing the political integrity, moral qualities, and capabilities of leaders, managers, and faculty. A notable innovation in the Academy’s training efforts is the expansion of programs beyond Academy personnel to include political schools and sectoral and ministerial training institutions. Previously, cadres and lecturers from the political schools only participated in short-term training courses to update their knowledge, but now all of the Academy’s training and fostering programs are implemented jointly for the Academy’s cadres and political schools. The Academy also regularly focuses on improving the quality of its administrative and logistical staff and enhancing the capacity to apply information technology in management and operation. Through training and fostering courses, the political theory, professional, and technical qualifications of the staff and lecturers are improved, contributing to building a contingent of staff fỏthe Academy and political schools with sufficient qualities, capacity and prestige to meet the requirements of new tasks.

The Academy has prioritized updating and modernizing training curricula and content, ensuring they reflect new developments articulated in Party Congresses and Central Committee resolutions. It also leads efforts to defend the Party’s ideological foundation and to counter false and hostile views.

The rotation and secondment of cadres to work in departments, branches, and localities continue to be a key focus. Through this, cadres improve their knowledge, skills, working methods and practical knowledge and experience. Most of the cadres who have been trained and tested through long-term work have grown in all aspects.

Efforts to evaluate and recognize qualifications for professorial titles are also given due attention. Between 2014 and 2024, the Academy’s Council of Professors reviewed and recognized the qualifications of 104 teachers, including 02 professors and 102 associate professors.

However, the number of professors and associate professors has recently decreased as many professors as possible and associate professors have reached retirement age without adequate replacements.

4. Along with the organization and apparatus rearrangements, the Academy has developed various projects, including the Streamlining the payroll for the period 2016 - 2020; Determining job positions, payroll, and the structure of civil servants and public employees according to appropriate ranks and titles at the Academy; Plan for using the Academy’s payroll for the period 2023 - 2026 and managing the Academy’s payroll for the period 2023 - 2026. These plans focus on streamlining personnel while restructuring the workforce to gradually reduce administrative and logistical staff, increase research and teaching staff, and ensure no net increase in personnel. Additionally, efforts have been made to promote digital transformation and the application of information technology in management and operations.

In accordance with the Politburo’s regulations on the number of staff and job positions, the President of the Academy has decided to issue directives on staff assignments and determine the number of employees at affiliated units for the period 2023 - 2026. Guidelines were issued on the implementation of job positions and the development of an employee force at the Academy for the period 2021 - 2026 and beyond. By the end of January 2022, 35/35 units under the Academy had completed the identification of job positions and staffing requirements within their units. Each unit completed the review and synthesis of the list of job positions, and job descriptions for each job position at the unit. These lists and the associated competency frameworks for each position were submitted to the President of the Academy for approval. The Academy has finalized the development of a comprehensive list of job positions and staffing numbers aligned with rank structures for all 35 units. This list has been submitted to the relevant authorities for review and approval in the near future.

5. The Academy has renovated its work on emulation and commendation in line with Directive No. 34-CT/TW dated April 7, 2014, of the Politburo, promoting the implementation of emulation movements across all units, cadres, civil servants, and students within the Academy. Based on the annual and 5-year political tasks, the Academy President has launched practical emulation movements aligned with political objectives and tasks, such as improving the quality of training, advancing research, developing theory, summarizing practical experiences, providing scientific evidence for the Party and State to formulate guidelines, policies, and strategies, and enhancing the quality of training and education at the Academy, etc. The emulation movements attract the participation, response and signing of emulation covenants of 100% of units in the Academy and political schools.

The emulation and commendation work has undergone fundamental changes, becoming deeper and more substantive, eliminating superficiality and the pursuit of achievements in organizing emulation movements. Emulation management is now conducted according to plans rather than mere agreements or registrations, emphasizing recognition based on actual achievements. Commendation is focused on individuals who are not in leadership or management positions, and external-related commendation efforts have been effectively carried out.

The emulation and commendation councils at all levels have been promptly improve regarding their organization, membership, methods of operation, powers, and tasks. Their composition has been expanded to ensure democracy and fairness in evaluating emulation titles and forms of rewards. The Academy has implemented a decentralized management mechanism for grassroots emulation councils, enhancing the autonomy and self-responsibility of grassroots council chairmen.

Over the past 10 years, the Academy has proposed 221 forms of state-level commendation, and 39 state-level emulation titles to its collectives and individuals within the Academy. It has awarded 1,422 certificates of merit, 2,610 certificates of merit to collectives and individuals and processed 1,678 commemorative medals for individuals within the Academy, political schools, and provincial and centrally-run cities’ propaganda committees.

Assessment and classification of collectives and individuals: Since 2017, the Academy has combined individual evaluation with emulation and commendation assessments. In 2019, it began evaluating collectives alongside individuals. Specific evaluation criteria have been developed, with most criteria quantified clearly. This has ensured accuracy, fairness, and objectivity in the process, laying the groundwork for making emulation and commendation work more substantive.

Commendation has shifted toward recognizing direct workers, ensuring that 50% of emulation title recipients are direct workers. Certificates of Merit are awarded by the Academy President to staff and officials before retirement, etc. Broader criteria for recognition and solutions have increased the proportion of workers achieving emulation titles. Consequently, 20% of individuals not in leadership or management positions have consistently been recognized as emulation title recipients at the Academy level. Many scientists and teachers from the Academy have been honored with the following titles from the State: Labor Medals; National Emulation Fighter; Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister; People’s Teacher; Excellent Teacher, and so on.

The Academy has implement well the regime and policies on salary, bonus, preferential allowances, work allowances, welfare, vacation, additional income, etc., following the regulations of the Party, the State, and the regulations on emulation, rewards, and internal spending, etc. These efforts have created motivation for cadres, lecturers, civil servants, public employees, and workers to be excited, and feel secure in their work, fostering their commitment to the Academy and ensuring successful completion of assigned tasks.

It can be seen that in recent years, the organizational and personnel work of the Academy has been strengthened and renovated, ensuring systematicity and uniformity throughout the Academy. The organizational apparatus, staff, lecturers, and civil servants of the Academy have been appropriately consolidated, with sufficient qualities, capacity, and prestige, meeting the requirements of the tasks assigned by the Party, the State, and the people.

To contribute to the implementation of the development goals of our country by 2030 and 2045 set forth by the 13th National Party Congress, the Academy continues to comprehensively and synchronously renovate all stages and aspects of work, in which the organization and personnel work plays a key role. By 2030, the Academy aims to “develop the Academy into a center for training and fostering mid- and high-level level leaders, managers, and scientific theoretical cadres of the Party on the political system; a center for modern and integrated political theory research, with a worthy position in the region and the world”. By 2045, it aspires to be “A highly prestigious national center in the region and the world for training and fostering mid- and high-level level leaders, managers, and scientific theoretical political cadres of the Party and the political system; a leading institute for scientific research on Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought, research on the Party and the State’s guidelines and policies, research on political science, leadership and management science; and a strategic policy advisory body for the Party and the State”.

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Received: August 28, 2024; Revised: August 30, 2024; Approved for publication: September 05, 2024.

Endnotes:

• Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics: Documents of the 3rd Congress of Delegates of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Party Committee, term 2020-2025 and guiding documents, Political Theory Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021 (Appendix 2)