Lack of education staff at commune/ward level: Need for secondment and rotation to 'patch management loopholes'

After one month of operating the two-level local government, there is a shortage of officials with education expertise in charge of the education sector. In your opinion, how does this situation affect the quality of education from preschool to secondary school?

Implementing a two-tier local government model is a suitable step to streamline the apparatus and improve the effectiveness of state management, including in the education sector. However, the reality is that the lack of specialized education officers at the commune/ward level will have a certain impact on the quality of management and education from preschool to secondary school.

National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga. Photo: NHU Y

At the grassroots level, education officials are the “bridge” between local authorities and educational institutions. When officials do not have expertise, their advice to local leaders on educational work will lack depth, making it difficult to detect and promptly handle emerging issues such as classroom overload, quality of preschool care, or ensuring standards for teaching staff... Especially issues related to educational expertise and profession. This can lead to gaps in management, making it difficult for educational institutions to operate, directly affecting the quality of teaching and learning in particular, and the overall development of the locality.

What do you think is the solution to overcome this problem?

The current low rate of qualified education officials at the commune/ward level is clearly a matter of concern. The lack of professional background makes it difficult to inspect and evaluate the quality of education, especially the understanding of professional standards of teachers and schools. This not only affects policy advice at the local level, but also reduces the effectiveness of education quality improvement programs, especially in rural and mountainous areas - where coordination between schools and local authorities is very important.

To overcome this situation, in my opinion, it is necessary to synchronously deploy a number of solutions. In the immediate future, it is necessary to strengthen the training and short-term training for education officers at the commune/ward level, focusing on skills in supervising and managing educational institutions and grasping basic professional regulations. To immediately overcome the shortage of professional staff at the grassroots level, the immediate solution can be to temporarily transfer or second civil servants from the provincial level to the grassroots level to provide initial support.

In the long term, it is necessary to develop a mechanism to arrange or rotate cadres with educational expertise to the grassroots level, especially in areas with many schools. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the application of information technology and establish a professional support channel to promptly advise and guide grassroots cadres, minimizing risks from limited expertise.

Effective implementation of these solutions will gradually narrow the gap in professional capacity at the grassroots level, ensuring educational management.

Thank you!