Reform and tighten management in driver training and testing.

Báo Ninh Thuận•16/05/2023

On May 15th, the Vietnam Road Administration held a conference to implement Directive No. 05/CT-BGTVT of the Minister of Transport on reforming, strengthening management, preventing corruption, and improving the quality of training, testing, and issuing driver's licenses for road motor vehicles.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Director of the Vietnam Road Administration, stated that the purpose of this conference is to ensure that individuals and organizations involved in the training, examination, issuance, and renewal of driver's licenses understand the true meaning and importance of the Directive on reforming, strengthening management, preventing corruption, and improving the quality of training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses for motor vehicles.

Accordingly, this is identified as a key task that must be carried out regularly and continuously to create strong, comprehensive, and profound changes in innovation, strengthen management, improve quality, and prevent and combat corruption in the training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses for road motor vehicles.

In addition, the conference also aimed to rectify and improve the quality of driver training, testing, and licensing; and to effectively implement the Project on strengthening the application of information technology and digital transformation in the road transport sector for the period 2023-2025, with a vision to 2030, as directed by the Minister of Transport.

Illustrative photo: VNA

In addition, improve the quality of inspection and supervision of driver training, testing, and licensing; organize regular and unscheduled inspections of the management of driver training, testing, and licensing for road motor vehicles; paying particular attention to inspecting the content of training and practical driving on the road to ensure strict management of the time and distance of practical driving lessons; resolutely and strictly handle individuals, organizations, and driver training facilities and driver testing centers that violate regulations to ensure transparency, objectivity, and fairness.

During the conference discussion, Mr. Ngo Duc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Bac Ninh Provincial Department of Transport, stated that driver training and testing are matters of public concern. Therefore, the Government and relevant ministries and agencies have consistently directed efforts towards developing solutions and regulations aimed at improving the effectiveness of state management in the field of driver training, testing, and licensing. Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued Circular No. 04/2022/TT-BGTVT, applying various equipment and machinery to management and supervision. While some benefits have been achieved, there are still some limitations.

For example: "The DAT driving course monitoring device still experiences instability, with many bugs affecting the learning process, increasing training costs, invalid training sessions due to equipment errors, and data transmission from the DAT device on the training vehicle to the training center's server is sometimes interrupted."

According to Mr. Bui Quoc Thinh, Vice Principal of the Central College of Transport and Communications I, the training format, which combines both in-person and self-study, should allow students to choose their preferred learning method and register with the training institution. This is because the vast majority of learners are of working age and currently employed in government agencies, businesses, and schools, with very limited time. Distance learning, online learning, and self-study are the trends of the scientific and technological era.

According to Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, Circular No. 12/2017/TT-BGTVT of the Ministry of Transport stipulates that the driving theory test consists of five subjects; including vehicle structure and common repairs (18 hours). The purpose of learning to drive is to master the skills of controlling a vehicle, and in-depth study of vehicle structure is not necessary.

Or take the Road Traffic Law course (90 hours): The long duration, mandatory classroom learning format, and attendance tracking using fingerprints, magnetic cards, and facial recognition are not suitable for the age of science and technology and for the target learners.

"In reality, most students learn on their own because there are already many resources and conditions for self-study. Training facilities mainly provide instruction in class (or students learn on their own), which is sufficient to fully grasp legal knowledge and meet the requirements for the driving test and participation in traffic," Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen further shared.

Acknowledging the feedback and contributions at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Director of the Vietnam Road Administration, requested specialized departments, especially the Department of Vehicle and Driver Training, to research and review legal documents and gradually address difficulties in the training and examination process for driver's licenses. He emphasized the need to clearly define the responsibilities of the Vietnam Road Administration, the Departments of Transport, and the training centers in terms of delegation of authority, and to hold those responsible accountable for any errors.

At the same time, digital transformation technology should be integrated into the training and examination process for issuing and renewing driver's licenses; training should be more open-ended, and training programs should be reviewed to identify any inadequacies or inappropriate aspects. Furthermore, examinations must be more strictly supervised, aiming for the highest possible quality of graduates.

According to VNA/News Agency

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