This issue was highlighted by the Ministry of Education and Training at a seminar on the organization and management of commune-level education on August 2.

Thai Van Tai, Director of the General Education Department, noted that in some localities, the staffing of commune-level education management meets quantity requirements but lacks focus on quality and appropriate personnel placement, often merely filling vacant positions.

Reports show that up to 50 percent of commune-level administrative units do not have leaders or officials who have worked in the education sector for monitoring and state management in the educational sector.

The Culture and Society Divisions of commune People’s Committees lack officials with deep expertise in managing school activities, posing challenges to improving education quality and managing public servants.

Under current regulations, each Culture and Society Division can allocate up to two positions for education responsibilities. With 3,321 communes, wards, and special zones after the local government restructuring, over 6,000 commune-level officials are needed.

Pham Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the Teachers and Education Management Personnel Agency (Ministry of Education and Training), said that the current assignment and placement of specialized units under commune People’s Committees, particularly officials responsible for education and training, do not suit their job positions and staffing quotas.

Most localities have not met the required number of officials for education responsibilities. Reports from some areas show that many Culture and Society Divisions have only one official assigned to education.

A quick survey on 1,000 officials assigned to Culture and Society Divisions at the commune level for education responsibilities revealed that 303 had previously worked in Education and Training sub-departments and 395 have qualifications in pedagogy or education, while the rest are from unrelated fields, many with no prior education experience.

MOET reported that in some localities, only 20 percent or less than 30 percent of commune-level education officials have qualifications or experience in education. Some even hold degrees in unrelated fields like land management or animal husbandry.

At the seminar, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son emphasized that the role of communes must differ from before. He acknowledged initial challenges in reform but urged against pessimism. Understanding the situation and finding solutions should leverage the restructuring of the two-tier local government to create a more effective education management system. 

Son informed that the ministry is implementing plans to inspect and monitor the implementation of the two-tier government structure related to education.

“Supporting commune-level education officials in their activities is a key and urgent task moving forward. These statistics are not complaints but a means to understand the situation and propose support solutions,” Son said.

Thuy Nga