Prevent corruption and negativity in training, testing and granting driving licenses

On April 10, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho signed Document No. 3448/BGTVT-TTr to the Departments of Transport of provinces and cities requesting strict implementation of the prevention and fight against corruption and negativity in training, testing and granting driver's licenses.

Driving test management center in Quang Ninh province. Photo: Thanh Van/VNA

Accordingly, from the beginning of 2023, the Minister of Transport decided to establish comprehensive inspection teams for the management of training, testing, and granting of driving licenses by the Departments of Transport nationwide; at the same time, the inspection process must comply with the principles of publicity, transparency, independence, objectivity, seriousness, and handling violations as they occur. Up to now, the inspection teams of the Ministry of Transport have inspected 40/63 Departments of Transport, initially discovering a number of shortcomings and limitations in the management and implementation of the Departments of Transport, with potential negative risks. Specifically: The exploitation of data to monitor the time and distance of students (DAT) to serve the management of training work is still limited; the inspection and supervision of courses, certification exams or implementation are still formal, not in accordance with reality; training institutions are many days late in sending reports via software; reviewing candidates who meet the conditions to take the test when the data has not been fully compared through the DAT system; there is a phenomenon of candidates exchanging with each other, examiners exchanging with candidates during the theoretical test. "The shortcomings, limitations, and violations discovered, the inspection teams have drawn up records and requested the Departments of Transport of provinces and cities to take immediate measures to handle and correct them," said the Ministry of Transport. Although the inspection plan has not yet been completed, in order to promptly correct and overcome the shortcomings, errors, and prevent and combat negativity, the Ministry of Transport has sent a document to the Departments of Transport of provinces and cities requesting them to continue to strictly implement the work of preventing and combating corruption, negativity and strictly manage the work of training, testing, and granting driving licenses; regularly monitor and grasp information about public opinion, proactively identify potential negative risks in the work of training, testing, and granting driving licenses to prevent them early and from afar. In particular, the Ministry of Transport requires the Departments of Transport to manage training, testing, and granting of driving licenses in accordance with regulations; focusing on strictly monitoring, checking, exploiting and using DAT data, DAT management data (preventing the phenomenon of multiple DAT devices on the same vehicle, one person being on two vehicles at the same time); strengthening inspection and supervision of training facilities to strictly manage the organization of teaching in accordance with the content, program, plan, and training progress; checking the end of the course according to regulations. Along with that, receive reports on time; compare the list of reports 1, report 2 and DAT management data when reviewing the list of candidates for the driving test to ensure the conditions according to regulations, including sufficient hours, kilometers of driving practice on the road and driving practice lessons. The Departments of Transport direct training establishments to manage and use DAT data to ensure accuracy; check information about teachers and driving practice vehicles when organizing training and reviewing students for the final exam; promptly report to the Department of Transport when there are changes in training plans and progress; direct the Examination Council and Examination Team to strictly implement legal regulations and instructions of the Vietnam Road Administration on organizing driving tests; examiners to properly perform their duties and responsibilities; ensure that candidates do not carry or use phones or communication devices in the theoretical examination room, and use high technology during the examination process. At the same time, continue to direct the Inspectorate of the Department of Transport to strengthen surprise supervision of driving tests; Actively coordinate with education management agencies and local authorities to strengthen management, inspection and verification of the confirmation of ethnic minorities who cannot read or write Vietnamese to ensure training, testing and issuance of A1 and A4 driver's licenses to the right subjects. The Ministry of Transport also requires the inspected Departments of Transport to organize reviews, clarify responsibilities and take appropriate disciplinary actions against groups and individuals related to the shortcomings and errors in the management of training, testing and licensing; promptly correct the shortcomings and errors in the management and implementation of the Departments as pointed out by the Inspection Teams in the inspection records.

At the same time, the organization reviewed and inspected to clarify the existing problems and signs of violations of training facilities and driving test centers. The Departments of Transport of Dak Lak, Lai Chau, and Lao Cai verified and clarified the phenomenon of examiners assisting candidates at certain times in some A1 theory tests, and the Department of Transport of Binh Dinh clarified the fact that many candidates were allowed to retake the practical driving test in some tests to handle violations (if any) according to their authority. In case of negative signs, they must proactively transfer to the competent authority for consideration and handling according to regulations. According to information from the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Transport, up to now, through inspection work, the Inspectorate of the Ministry has transferred information about 2 driving training facilities suspected of having negative signs to local police agencies for verification, clarification, and handling according to their authority. The Ministry of Transport said that in recent years, the state management of driver training, testing and licensing has been relatively thoroughly decentralized to localities; at the same time, the Ministry of Transport has strongly socialized facilities, driver training and testing, meeting the needs of society for learning and testing. The Ministry of Transport has also synchronously deployed many solutions to improve the quality of driver training, testing and licensing, along with strengthening inspection, examination, and preventing and combating corruption and negativity; perfecting the system of legal documents, applying information technology to improve the quality and effectiveness of management. The Ministry of Transport identified this as a field with a large scope of influence on society, affecting many subjects, with many complicated developments in practice, but in some places there is a phenomenon of laxity in management and supervision, leading to many potential negative risks.

Quang Toan (Vietnam News Agency)