To develop the Party in schools to be stronger and more stable.

(Baonghean) - Directive 34 dated May 30, 1998, of the Politburo (8th term) on "Strengthening political and ideological work, consolidating Party organizations, Party and mass organization development, and Party development in schools" affirms the Party's high regard for cadres who are both politically sound and professionally competent. Admitting students into the Party not only improves the quality of Party organizations but also enhances the quality of comprehensive education. However, Party development in the area is uneven, and in some places, it has not received adequate attention.

Low percentage

In 2008, the 4th Conference of the Standing Committee of the 9th Central Committee of the Youth Union reviewed, evaluated, and pondered how to effectively implement Directive 34 of the 8th Politburo, promoting the campaign "Youth Union members strive to become members of the Communist Party of Vietnam." Conclusion 138 at the conference created momentum for significant progress in Party development among Youth Union members in Nghe An province from 2008 to the present. Specifically, in the five years from 2008 to 2013, the Youth Union recommended 56,982 outstanding Youth Union members to the Party, 44% of whom were admitted, accounting for 74% of the total number of new Party members admitted in the entire local Party organization.

However, in the school environment, the recruitment of students into the Party is generally limited. Firstly, the quality of Party development in schools is uneven. Many schools perform very well, such as Phan Boi Chau, Huynh Thuc Khang, and Le Viet Thuat specialized high schools (Vinh City); Vinh University, Nghe An Pedagogical College, and Nghe An University of Economics (Vinh City); Thanh Chuong 3 High School; Do Luong 1 High School; Nghi Loc 2 and 5 High Schools; and Nguyen Duy Trinh High School (Nghi Loc)... Here, Party development in schools is concentrated in key schools, public schools, schools in the city, and some lowland districts. Meanwhile, in private schools or those in mountainous districts, Party development is limited, mainly due to two reasons.

The Party branch secretary and principal of Pham Hong Thai High School (Hung Nguyen) presented the Party membership admission decision to student Nguyen Thi Thu Ha.

First of all, the quality of student union members is uneven. Generally, the percentage of outstanding students eligible for Party membership is higher in public schools than in private schools; and higher in cities and lowland districts than in mountainous districts. At Nguyen Truong To Private High School in Vinh City, no student has been admitted to the Party for the past four years. In private schools, the entry requirements are below the minimum, resulting in a low number of students achieving excellent grades each year. It's rare to find a student who both participates in extracurricular activities and achieves high academic results. "The school clearly states that students considered for Party membership must be truly outstanding and exceptional so that the selection process has an educational impact on the entire school. Meeting the criteria for student Party membership is very difficult for the school, so the work of developing Party membership among students remains a major concern," said Ms. Phan Thi Thu Huyen, Secretary of the Youth Union at Nguyen Truong To Private High School (Vinh City).

The second reason is that the leadership role of the Party organization in some high schools, colleges, and universities, and at some grassroots levels, is limited or has not given adequate attention to this work. Established in June 2009, the Viet Anh School Party Branch (Vinh City) has 21 members. The school enrolls an average of 2,000 students annually. However, since its establishment, the branch has only admitted 4 students into the Party (in 2011). Ms. Nguyen Thi Duyen, Deputy Secretary of the Party Branch and Deputy Principal of the school, shared: “The school pays attention to Party development among students, but the admission rate remains low.”

As a private school, it has many unique mechanisms and policies, from management to implementation. One of them is that the school's management board and board of directors do not participate in the Party committee, so the role of the Party organization in the school has not been effectively utilized. Meanwhile, in Tuong Duong district, according to Mr. Lo Thanh Nhat - Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Department: "Party development work in the two high schools in the district, Tuong Duong High School and Tuong Duong 2 High School, has not received specific guidance from the district. Therefore, in recent years, the school Party branches have not really done well in creating a source for Party development among students, and have not admitted any students into the Party. Recognizing this limitation, the Organization Department will advise on including the target for Party development in schools in the Resolution of the upcoming District Party Congress."

Regulations regarding the age for Party membership are also an objective reason limiting Party development work in high schools. Many high schools in the province report that outstanding students and Youth Union members selected and recommended for Party membership training are not eligible for admission because they are not yet 18 years old upon graduating from high school. For private schools, admitting students is already difficult due to the limited number of potential candidates, and now it is even more challenging. Therefore, will the efforts of these students be recognized and continued after high school, creating conditions for them to join the Party sooner? Many school Party branches have written letters of recommendation, requesting the new Party branch to monitor and consider admitting student Youth Union members who are "underage" for Party membership.

Enhancing the role of Party committees and youth organizations.

So, what are the directions and solutions to overcome the difficulties currently facing Party development work in schools? We had a conversation with Mr. Tran Van Cac - Secretary of the Party branch and Principal of Pham Hong Thai High School (Hung Chau, Hung Nguyen). It is known that previously, due to a lack of genuine attention to the role of students in Party building and development, the school's Party committee did not direct the Youth Union to focus on finding and creating potential Party members among students. However, since receiving guidance from the district Party committee and grasping the correct spirit and policies of Directive 34, the school's Party committee has developed a new understanding of Party organization development in schools. Specifically, the school exceeded its target of admitting 5 students into the Party ranks for the 2010-2015 term. In the 2014-2015 school year alone, 6 students were recommended to attend the Party membership orientation class. To achieve these results, the Party Branch and the Youth Union of the school adhered to the four tasks set out in Directive 34, applying them to the actual situation.

For example, regarding the task of "Strengthening political and ideological education and cultivating revolutionary ethics among teachers, students, and staff in schools," according to Mr. Tran Van Cac, it is crucial to clearly and specifically define the political and ethical responsibilities of each group within the school. For instance, for teachers, the requirement for political awareness is to understand the directives, resolutions, policies, and learning guidelines of the Party and State, linked to the campaigns of the Education sector. For students, the requirement for revolutionary ethics is also the requirement for the character and morality of a student and a future citizen; the main political task is to study and cultivate oneself… This means that the goals and standards for each group must be concretized. To be considered for Party membership, students must have achieved excellent academic results for at least the last two years of high school, participated in and won awards in provincial-level or higher-level academic competitions, have good conduct, and actively participate in Youth Union activities.

These are very clear but also very strict standards for high school students, therefore, those students admitted to the Party serve as the most accessible, vivid, and effective role models for future generations. In ceremonies, in the school's traditional hall, or on the internal website, the achievements of these outstanding student Party members are mentioned and preserved. Teacher Tran Van Cac proudly mentions Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, a student in class 12A2 during the 2013-2014 school year, now a student in the Journalism Department at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Hanoi). During her three years of high school, Thu Ha not only achieved high academic results but also led her class in school-wide activities. Speaking about this former student, Teacher Cac affirmed: "Such outstanding individuals with such influence fully deserve to join the ranks of the Party."

The student body is the "source," and it's crucial to focus on identifying and nurturing potential early on. From the beginning of the year, the Party Committee and the Youth Union review the age and academic abilities of students to develop a plan for Party membership training and development. The guiding role of the school's Youth Union is very important. By creating opportunities for students to assume positions such as class president and secretary, they will have the chance to develop their abilities, cultivate their awareness, and contribute to collective activities. Besides the task of "Actively creating a source and doing a good job of developing Party members among cadres, teachers, students, and university students," the task of "Building a clean and strong Party branch and Party committee within the school" is also given great attention. On the occasion of its 35th anniversary, Pham Hong Thai High School will have the honor of receiving a Certificate of Commendation from the Prime Minister.

Thus, Party development in schools must begin at the high school level, but the efforts of students need to be maintained and developed after graduating from high school. As a model for Party development among students, Vinh University admits an average of 250 to 300 outstanding student Party members each year, recommended by the Youth Union. The admission rate among those recommended for Party membership training reaches 25-30%. Notably, the University Party Committee has given special attention to ethnic minority students, so each year the university admits 5-10 Party members from this group, contributing to reducing the disparity in geographical and ethnic distribution within the Party organization. However, according to Mr. Dinh Xuan Khoa - Secretary of the Party Committee and Rector of the university, the number does not tell the whole story about Party development work in schools.

Recognizing students as a quality "source" for Party membership, the university's Youth Union always closely collaborates with, screens, and selects individuals with potential from the moment they enter the university. This is followed by a process of monitoring and facilitating their participation in student organizations and movements, coupled with good academic results and recognized achievements in activities at the university level or higher, so that these revolutionary "seeds" can develop and mature by their third or fourth year of university. There are also students who have strived since high school, being admitted immediately upon graduation or having completed the Party orientation course but not yet reaching the age for admission. Although the number of such individuals is not large, Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan – Head of the University Office – stated that by collecting personal information from students in their first year of university, the university always creates opportunities for outstanding individuals from the high school level. Those who have joined the Party will be given priority for positions such as secretary, class president, or in student organizations. The certificate of graduation from the Party orientation class is valid for 5 years, so if students strive hard, they can be admitted as early as their second year.

The supportive attention of Party committees and Youth Union organizations is a great advantage, even one of the essential conditions for Party development in schools, but above all, it is the self-discipline and dedication of each student that matters. For example, Tran Huu Dieu Ha – class 52B4 Business Administration, Faculty of Economics. After three years of studying and striving with outstanding achievements at Huynh Thuc Khang High School, Dieu Ha was honored to join the Party in 2011 while wearing her student uniform. Having passed the entrance exam to Vinh University with her second choice, Dieu Ha shared that because she enrolled later, the Youth Union positions had already been assigned to other students. But the awareness, responsibility, and enthusiasm of a young Party member led Dieu Ha to boldly express her desire to participate and contribute before the Party branch congress. From there, Ha was nominated to the Executive Committee of the Student Union of the Faculty of Economics.

In her second year, Ha was nominated to attend the University Student Union Congress and was elected to the Executive Committee. Thus, to this day, Ha is a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Vietnam Student Union and Vice President of the Student Union of Vinh University. When asked about the difference between Party members admitted in high school and those admitted among university students, Dieu Ha said: “Perhaps it’s the enthusiasm. But that doesn’t mean that once admitted, the enthusiasm disappears. It’s about prioritizing the responsibility of a Party member above all else. We must strive to be worthy of this honor, of the trust and affection of our teachers and senior members of the Party.” This young student’s political awareness and revolutionary consciousness are the clearest evidence of the importance of each individual in the process of striving and self-cultivation to join the Party.

Looking back at the work of building and developing the Party in schools in Nghe An, Ms. Le Thi Hoai Nam - Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department - affirmed: "Students are a large and high-quality source of Party members. Party membership for this group needs to be given attention by Party committees at all levels. The role of the Party branch is extremely important; therefore, the Youth Union and school Party branches need to focus on creating a pool of potential members, taking responsibility for nurturing them, engaging them in movement activities, and raising their awareness of the Party. Developing the Party among students is not only the responsibility of the school and the education sector, but of the entire society." This is also the answer to the question of how to develop a strong and sustainable Party in schools. Because, if the goals, meaning, and tasks of each group in this overall endeavor are unclear, Party membership among students risks becoming a race for achievements – a persistent problem in the education sector.

What is the point of joining the Party if we prioritize quantity over quality, or allow outstanding Party members and Youth Union members to fade away during the transition from high school to university and beyond into the workforce? It's understood that the political responsibilities of students change at each educational level and in each environment; focusing on academics in high school, balancing studies with community service in university, and working for personal and collective success in adulthood… These diverse responsibilities all share a common name: Life's Ideal. This is the thread that connects the striving process through each stage of an individual's life. Party committees, Youth Union organizations at the high school and university levels, agencies, and even at the local level need to coordinate, exchange information, understand, and bring these "red threads" together. This is also the time when we continue to uphold the Party's banner, and Party development in schools is one of the places that nurtures these "red seeds."

Text and photos:Thanh Le - Thuc Anh