Empowering educational management: Creating a 'breakthrough' in school governance.

GD&TĐ - The implementation of Circular 10 and Circular 12/2025 of the Ministry of Education and Training is giving more autonomy to the grassroots level, creating a "breakthrough" opportunity for localities to proactively manage schools.

However, many places are still struggling due to a shortage of manpower and expertise, and a workload that exceeds their capacity to handle it.

Advantages but obstacles remain.

Mr. Phan Quoc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Trach commune (Ha Tinh province), commented that the two new circulars help communes shift from a position of "participating in coordination" to "taking full responsibility" in education management. Previously, communes only provided support, but now they must participate in network planning, organizing activities, monitoring, mobilizing resources, and considering education as a shared responsibility of the entire political system.

In Phuc Trach, immediately after the administrative merger, the two-tiered system proceeded to replan the school network in conjunction with local development. The new decentralization allowed the commune to independently decide on issues previously requiring the district's approval, such as: establishing, merging, and dissolving schools; allocating investment; and addressing school shortages and surpluses based on population changes.

Mr. Thanh emphasized that the most important new point is Circular 12/2025/TT-BGDĐT, which empowers localities with stronger authority in recruiting, employing, evaluating, and developing the teaching staff. Thanks to this, communes can proactively regulate or transfer teachers between schools according to practical needs, avoiding prolonged localized teacher shortages or surpluses.

The new mechanism also increases the role of community oversight. Through the Fatherland Front , mass organizations, parent associations, and community investment oversight boards, people have the opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching, transparency in budget utilization, school security, and violence prevention – areas that require the involvement of society.

"Larger schools have greater autonomy: they can develop their own educational plans, proactively manage their finances, and participate in personnel decisions. But with greater power comes greater responsibility. Each school must demonstrate its effectiveness through the quality of its graduates and the satisfaction of parents and the community," Mr. Thanh said.

According to Mr. Thanh, deep decentralization creates opportunities but also presents a major test. The most difficult challenge is shifting from administrative work to a management mindset, from adhering to procedures to creating tangible results.

Phuc Trach commune currently manages 9 educational facilities with over 3,600 students, but the department in charge only has 3-4 people, who are also responsible for many other areas. When the circular requires increased supervision, data analysis, financial and asset management, personnel evaluation, etc., the pressure mounts on the already small staff.

Some officials lack formal training in education management; the application of laws, especially regarding personnel and finance, remains problematic. The incomplete data system and limited IT skills hinder digitization and analysis for monitoring purposes. Furthermore, the increasing demand for transparency in social mobilization poses additional challenges for the commune level.

To address this, Mr. Thanh proposed strengthening training and professional development for education officials; promoting guided self-learning; applying digital technology; and establishing an online communication channel between the commune, schools, and parents to handle tasks quickly, clearly, and transparently.

Thanh Sen Ward (Ha Tinh province) manages 39 educational institutions from preschool to junior high school. Immediately after the circulars came into effect, the ward reorganized its structure, assigned staff, organized training, and updated the legal knowledge of its personnel.

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Nga, Vice Chairwoman of the People's Committee of Thanh Sen Ward, said that the ward sends officials to participate in training courses on school management and digital technology; and at the same time establishes a three-way online communication channel between the school, the People's Committee of the ward, and the Department of Education and Training to ensure that work is resolved quickly and in accordance with regulations. The biggest advantage of Thanh Sen Ward is that the education specialists have a good foundation, providing effective support to new officials.

In Tuy Phuoc commune (Gia Lai province), Deputy Chairman of the People's Committee Thai Van Thuan said that the locality also faced similar pressure when transitioning to a two-tiered model. Previously, the management of the entire preschool and secondary school system was the responsibility of the district's Department of Education and Training. Now, this task has been assigned to the commune's Department of Culture and Social Affairs, but only one officer handles all the work, equivalent to an entire specialized department before.

Tuy Phuoc currently has 22 schools, over 670 staff and teachers, and 13,450 students. The large scale of the school system coupled with limited human resources has led to delays in processing necessary paperwork; many school proposals require time for research and comparison with regulations. This year, investment in infrastructure has been temporarily halted, further impacting teaching and learning activities. While the commune has staff who previously worked at the Department of Education and Training, which provides some advantages, in many other localities, the staff in charge lack the necessary expertise, compounding the difficulties.

In light of these difficulties, Tuy Phuoc commune has requested the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Home Affairs to increase the number of personnel responsible for education management, in order to reduce the workload and ensure the timely and effective implementation of new regulations.

The People's Committee of Thanh Sen Ward (Ha Tinh Province) held a regular meeting with the principals of schools in the area.

Creating momentum for development

The changes and impacts of Circular 10/2025/TT-BGDĐT and Circular 12/2025/TT-BGDĐT on local authorities and educational institutions have brought about many fundamental changes and direct impacts. At the same time, these two circulars give schools greater autonomy in governance, management, and operation, improving the quality of education. Schools are allocated resources according to quotas and coordinate with the government to recruit teachers and employ staff according to job positions…

From a management perspective, Ms. Bui Thi Ngoc Luong, Principal of Tay Tuu A Primary School (Tay Tuu Ward, Hanoi), shared: “Empowering schools, especially principals, is closely linked to a mechanism of accountability. This aligns with Directive No. 24-CT/TU of the Standing Committee of the Hanoi City Party Committee on strengthening the responsibility of leaders; ensuring efficiency and effectiveness when implementing a two-tiered government system.”

On the other hand, principals will fulfill their roles and responsibilities effectively, leading to more practical decisions, avoiding formalism, aligning with local conditions and the general trends in education. The challenge facing the two levels of government is the workload and management capacity.”

Currently, with the two-tiered government system, not all localities have a team of civil servants specializing in education in the Culture and Social Affairs Department; therefore, the workforce is not strong enough. According to Circular 12/2025/TT-BGDĐT, reforms in evaluation will help assess teachers based on their abilities and practical experience, avoiding egalitarianism and leveling, and creating motivation and encouragement for teachers to strive for excellence.

In addition, Ms. Luong argued that Circular 10/2025/TT-BGDĐT and Circular 12/2025/TT-BGDĐT require principals to have leadership and management thinking, ensure transparency and objectivity in the school, be able to predict future trends, know how to utilize the staff according to the strengths of each officer and teacher; empower teachers; treat subordinates as leaders; and middle-level managers to fully exploit the strengths of the staff...

"Only then can the leader effectively fulfill their mission when entrusted with the authority... At the same time, instead of waiting for detailed instructions from superiors, they can anticipate and advise local authorities to improve the reputation and quality of education of the school as well as the locality," Ms. Luong emphasized.

In some other localities, greater empowerment in the management of general education and staff has helped institutions become more proactive.

From the perspective of an educational institution manager, Mr. Tran Thanh Kien - Principal of Le Van Thiem Secondary School (Thanh Sen Ward, Ha Tinh Province), shared: "Granting greater authority to the grassroots level, helping many localities and schools to be more proactive in school management, has created more favorable conditions for resolving urgent school issues."

During the period leading up to the new school year, the People's Committee of the ward held a direct meeting with the school regarding development plans; decisions on facilities such as repairing classrooms, purchasing equipment, or allocating funds were handled quickly and directly. This helped the school be more proactive in all activities, focusing on improving the quality of teaching and learning effectively.”

According to Mr. Dang Quoc Vu, Principal of Dak Plo Primary and Secondary School (Quang Ngai province), since the administrative scale has been reduced, many procedures are resolved quickly and directly. "Previously, we had to wait for guidance from many different sources, but now the administration is more streamlined. Communication between the school and the local government is smoother, significantly shortening the process," Mr. Vu shared.

Mr. Vu argued that a rational decentralization helps schools better understand the practical realities, especially in areas with large geographical areas and dispersed populations. The autonomy in developing educational plans, allocating personnel, and advising local authorities is enhanced when the gap between management and practice is narrowed.

However, difficulties still exist. Some professional activities, such as competitions for excellent teachers and outstanding students, are currently only organized within a few schools. This small scale limits interaction, learning, and professional exchange, especially in remote areas where the number of excellent teachers and students is already limited.

According to Mr. Vu, from practical implementation, Circulars 10 and 12 open up opportunities for localities and educational institutions to be more proactive in management. However, for these documents to be truly effective, they need to be accompanied by strengthening the capacity of lower-level staff, those who directly "bear" the burden of the delegated tasks. At the same time, there must be a clear coordination mechanism between the provincial Department and the People's Committees at the commune level, avoiding the situation where authority is granted but then there is a lack of personnel, guidance, or a fear of making mistakes.

"Circular 10/2025/TT-BGDĐT and Circular 12/2025/TT-BGDĐT have transferred many tasks and responsibilities from the district level and the former Department of Education and Training to the commune level, making the management and handling of school affairs faster and more proactive. However, the responsibilities of the commune People's Committee chairman are therefore heavier, requiring education officials and the Department of Culture and Social Affairs to have a deep understanding and firm grasp of professional regulations."

Meanwhile, many communes lack specialized education officials, and the workload of the Culture and Social Affairs Department is too heavy, leading to difficulties in reviewing planning and providing timely advice to the commune People's Committee as required by the two new circulars,” said Mr. Ngo Van Hien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tri Le commune (Lang Son).

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/trao-quyen-quan-ly-giao-duc-tao-dot-pha-quan-tri-truong-hoc-post760216.html