Decentralization of education management: Practical recommendations from the grassroots

Early allocation of recruitment targets for education officials, allocation of funds for repair and investment in facilities, as well as the need for education management staff at each level to shorten the time for implementing related regulations... are the close recommendations of school representatives to ensure teaching and learning in the context of operating a two-level local government.

Students are excited during a class at Phu Dong Secondary School, Duy Xuyen Commune. Photo: PHI THANH

TEACHER CA VAN BE, PRINCIPAL OF LE HONG PHONG SECONDARY SCHOOL (TAM KY WARD):

Early allocation of recruitment targets for education staff

Currently, there has been no decision on the allocation of the number of staff and employees in school units, so the school cannot sign contracts to supplement the missing teachers while the new school year is approaching.

Specifically, the school is lacking 15 teachers, the most among the 3 secondary schools in Tam Ky ward (Ly Tu Trong Secondary School is lacking 10 teachers, Huynh Thuc Khang Secondary School is lacking 9 teachers).

This new school year, the number of students in the school includes 32 classes, an increase of 7 classes compared to last year, which is also a great pressure.

In previous years, the decision to allocate officials and employees to schools was made in the first half of August. When operating a two-level local government, schools are still waiting for quotas to be assigned before they can sign contracts. If it is too late, teachers will not be retained to ensure teaching human resources.

The school hopes that the ward leaders will soon implement relevant regulations to ensure facilities and human resources for the new school year. Currently, the school only has 17 rooms fully equipped for teaching and learning, making it difficult to meet the requirements of teaching 2 sessions/day.

TEACHER TRAN THI THUY, PRINCIPAL OF ANH DAO KINDERGARTEN (CHIEN DAN COMMUNE):

Specific instructions are needed for close and effective implementation.

After operating a two-level local government, education from preschool to secondary school is transferred to communes and wards for management. This is an advantage when the management level is close to the grassroots level, but new changes need time to grasp and implement to ensure regulations.

Previously, management was decentralized according to each level of education, so when there were circulars and instructions from higher levels, the school would discuss with the kindergarten manager to receive instructions and implement smoothly. Thereby shortening the time to learn about related regulations for accurate and effective implementation.

Currently, there are no more managers by grade level, so schools must invest time to learn and grasp the regulations for correct and timely implementation. Therefore, specific guidance is needed for schools to implement closely and effectively.

Another difficulty is that after the merger, the commune area is larger than before, so it takes time to complete the statistical report on universal education work under the school's management.

In addition, due to the new commune operation, the funding source for repairing facilities before the new school year is not yet available. Accordingly, the school took advantage of the prize money from participating in the new rural competition last year to repair essential items such as the kitchen, toilets for children...

TEACHER TRAN THI PHUONG TRAM, PRINCIPAL OF KIM DONG PRIMARY SCHOOL (DIEN BAN WARD):

Concerns about the quality of the competition for excellent teachers at the commune and ward levels

Currently, education management staff at the commune and ward levels do not have expertise in this field, so initially, schools should proactively grasp related content to avoid being passive and ensure preparation for the new school year.

Notably, Circular 12 dated June 12, 2025 of the Ministry of Education and Training stipulates the decentralization of the implementation of state management tasks of local authorities at 2 levels in the field of teachers and managers of educational institutions; in which the Competition for excellent teachers and excellent homeroom teachers at the commune and ward levels will start from the 2025-2026 school year, replacing the previous district level and chaired by the People's Committee of the commune and ward.

With the current small and unspecialized team of education management staff at the commune and ward levels, how to ensure the quality and fairness of the competition is something that needs to be considered.

It is necessary to ensure that the content of the excellent teacher exam is substantial, linked to practice and aimed at developing long-term teacher capacity.

Organizing the competition for excellent teachers requires a strong and objective professional council to properly assess the capacity and pedagogical qualities of teachers.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/phan-cap-quan-ly-giao-duc-nhung-kien-nghi-sat-suon-tu-co-so-3298811.html