Streamline paperwork

GD&TĐ - Over the years, the Ministry of Education and Training has implemented many measures to rectify the misuse of records and documents in preschools and primary and secondary schools.

A key highlight is Directive 138/CT-BGDĐT (2019), which addresses the abuse of records and documents in schools. Directive 138 absolutely prohibits the creation or requirement for teachers to maintain any additional records or documents beyond those stipulated in the school charter or regulations issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

In particular, during the 2021-2025 period, regulations related to records and documents in schools have undergone a significant shift, as evidenced by a series of specific documents and programs linked to digital transformation. Notably, the Project to Strengthen the Application of Information Technology and Digital Transformation in Education during the 2021-2025 period lays the foundation for the digitization of education management, emphasizing the development of a sectoral database and the gradual transition of school management processes to a digital environment.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Education and Training promotes the use of electronic student records and gradebooks, gradually replacing traditional records. A comprehensive education database system has been built and put into operation to facilitate data updating, exploitation, and sharing throughout the sector. Furthermore, recent directives emphasize the principle of not creating additional records beyond regulations, while encouraging the use of electronic records to replace paper records, in accordance with practical circumstances.

Most recently, Circular No. 15/2026/TT-BGDĐT, promulgating the Regulations for primary, secondary, and high schools, and multi-level general education schools (effective from May 10, 2026), has specifically stipulated the system of educational activity management records in schools; it defines that records are primarily managed and used in electronic form, have the same legal value as paper records, and will be used as a replacement according to a roadmap suitable to infrastructure conditions and implementation capabilities. If legally using electronic records, schools and teachers are not required to create corresponding paper records.

It is clear that the core of the Ministry of Education and Training's efforts is linking the streamlining of paperwork with digital transformation. Teacher records, grade books, student transcripts, and many other types of records are gradually being transferred to an electronic environment, allowing for storage, updating, and management on online systems, instead of manual recording and storage as before. At the same time, the policy of not using both paper and electronic records simultaneously if the conditions for digitization are met demonstrates a determination to avoid a purely superficial digital transformation.

The trend towards streamlining and digitizing records is inevitable in the context of current educational reforms. The demand for developing students' qualities and competencies requires teachers to focus more on their expertise, necessitating a shift away from a management model heavily reliant on bureaucratic documentation.

However, the current challenge lies largely in implementation. The situation of maintaining both electronic and paper records means that the workload has not decreased but actually increased. In addition, the technological infrastructure and digital skills of teachers and administrators are uneven, affecting the effectiveness of implementation.

To ensure the policy is implemented effectively, a comprehensive set of solutions is needed; including further improving the industry's database, strengthening data connectivity and sharing; enhancing the responsibility of heads of educational institutions in implementation; promoting digitalization and optimizing management processes; and simultaneously fostering digital skills for teachers and administrators in line with practical requirements. If implemented effectively, this will be an important foundation contributing to the sustainable improvement of educational quality.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/tinh-gian-ho-so-post775922.html