Abolish the civil servant promotion exam.

The government abolished the examination system, retaining only the assessment for promotion to higher professional positions for civil servants based on competence, expertise, and professional skills.

According to Decree 85/2023 recently issued by the Government, all provisions related to civil servant promotion examinations nationwide have been abolished. Civil servants can register for promotion to higher professional titles if they meet the standards. First, they must have been rated as having satisfactorily completed their duties in the year immediately preceding the promotion examination; and they must not be under disciplinary action.

Civil servants must possess the competence, professional qualifications, and expertise to assume higher-ranking professional positions. They must also have the necessary diplomas, certificates, and minimum work experience. In addition to the general standards stipulated by the Government, civil servants applying for promotion must meet specific conditions set by the managing Ministry.

Government ministries, agencies, and local authorities decide on promotion quotas that are appropriate to job positions and staffing structure. If the number of candidates for promotion exceeds the quota, units will prioritize those with higher achievements, women, ethnic minorities, older age, and longer service time.

Teachers at Dinh Tien Hoang Primary School, Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, September 2023. Photo: Quynh Tran

The Decree takes effect from December 7th, but civil servants who have already taken the promotion exam or been promoted before that date will still be subject to the old regulations for the next six months. After six months, if units have not completed the approval of the promotion results for civil servants who have taken the exam or been promoted, they must comply with this Decree.

According to Decree 115/2020, civil servants taking promotion exams must complete four tests: general knowledge (60 questions); foreign language (30 multiple-choice questions); computer skills (30 multiple-choice questions); and a written test in their specialized field. If the unit organizes the computer-based multiple-choice test, candidates are not required to take the computer skills test. Civil servants with a vocational college diploma in information technology are also exempt from the computer skills test.

The Ministry of Interior proposed abolishing the civil servant promotion exam in May. The reason given was that with 1.8 million civil servants nationwide, the annual promotion exam is costly and prone to corruption. Furthermore, in the six years from 2012 to 2018, only six ministries organized the exam. Local authorities nominated their own officials to participate in these exams instead of organizing them themselves. Only Hanoi organized the exam. Positions such as architect, appraiser, surveyor, land surveyor, and director have not yet been included in the exam.

"Abolishing civil servant promotion exams will reduce the burden and cost of examinations. No country in the world has exams or assessments for civil servant promotion," Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said in June, emphasizing that they are considering abolishing both exams and assessments for civil servant promotion in the future, and instead paying salaries based on job positions.

Viet Tuan

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