New model - new thinking: Ha Tinh improves capacity in managing primary education

From July 1, 2025, when the two-level local government model officially comes into operation, kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools will be transferred to the People's Committees at the commune level. This change will lead to a clear decentralization of management. According to the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended), the Department of Education and Training will be responsible for providing professional guidance, the People's Committees of communes/wards will directly manage facilities and personnel, and be responsible for coordinating the implementation of tasks and explaining the quality of education in the locality.

This requires the staff of communes/wards to not only be solid in administrative management but also have a deep understanding of the process and professional tasks of the sector. Only then can they coordinate effectively, especially in key areas such as digital transformation, data management and mobilizing social resources to improve the quality of primary education.

Thanh Sen Ward ( Ha Tinh ) was established on the basis of merging 8 wards and a part of Dai Nai Ward of Ha Tinh City before. Immediately after operation, the ward held a meeting and assigned staff to be in charge of various fields, including education.

Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Nga - Vice Chairman of the Ward People's Committee said: "The ward is managing 39 educational institutions from preschool to secondary school. To improve the capacity of the staff in charge, to meet the requirements of the new apparatus, we have promptly organized training, updated legal documents; sent staff to attend training courses on school management skills and digital technology application. At the same time, we have established an online communication channel between the school - Ward People's Committee - Department of Education and Training to handle work quickly and attach emulation assessment criteria to the effectiveness of coordination in educational work".

From the perspective of an educational institution manager, Mr. Tran Thanh Kien - Principal of Le Van Thiem Secondary School (Thanh Sen Ward) shared: "The handover of management work to the ward has created more favorable conditions for solving urgent problems of the school. During the period of entering the new school year, the Ward People's Committee had a direct working session with the school on the development plan; decisions on facilities such as: repairing classrooms, purchasing equipment or allocating funds are all handled quickly and directly. Thereby, helping the school to be more proactive in all activities, focusing on improving the quality of teaching and learning effectively".

Ms. Le Thi Hai Yen, an expert from the Department of Culture and Society in charge of education in Thanh Sen Ward, affirmed: “Operating under the new model, the most important thing is not only the change in organizational structure, but also the change in thinking and working spirit of each staff member. We no longer work individually but have to look at the problem as a whole, linking education with culture and society. This helps us quickly catch up with the new cycle, ensuring that all work from enrollment to support policies is implemented promptly.”

To further improve education work, in the coming time, Thanh Sen Ward will focus on reviewing the staff to arrange and regulate appropriately; appoint and re-appoint management staff for schools that are lacking and due. Along with that, the ward will establish a core team at the ward level to support specialized education work; conduct a review of school facilities to make investment and construction plans; speed up the progress of projects under construction to have enough classrooms for the new school year and continue to complete the education database in sync with the system of the Department of Education and Training.

Previously a specialist at the Department of Education and Training of Vu Quang district, Mr. Tran Xuan Hai has many years of experience in the field of education. After operating a two-level local government, he was assigned to work as a specialist at the Department of Culture and Society in charge of education in Mai Hoa commune. For Mr. Hai, this is a big change, instead of specializing in one area as before, he now has to take on the task of synthesizing and covering the entire field of education at the commune level, as the only specialist in charge of this area.

"Although we encountered some difficulties in the early days of operating the new apparatus such as: a large workload when having to manage 9 schools at all 3 levels; the lack of core teachers at the provincial level also made it difficult to improve the level of expertise in each subject. To solve this problem, we proactively established inter-school professional groups. This group will be a place for representatives from the People's Committee, the Department of Culture - Society and good teachers to exchange experiences, improve the overall quality of education, ensuring that educational activities throughout the commune are smooth and effective" - Mr. Hai shared.

From the school's practice, Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Thanh - Principal of Bong Linh Secondary School (Mai Hoa Commune) also affirmed the positive effects of the new model: "Previously, reporting and asking for opinions for a small plan had to go through many levels. Now, with the direct management of the commune level, we can present and receive quick feedback from the responsible staff. This helps speed up the implementation of activities, especially in mobilizing social resources to renovate facilities, creating a better learning environment for students".

In Thien Cam commune, the implementation of the two-level government model also creates certain challenges for officials working in education. With 11 schools at all levels, the workload of educational management at the commune level becomes very large.

Mr. Pham Van Tuan - Vice Chairman of Thien Cam Commune People's Committee informed: "The commune has a civil servant in charge of the education sector at the Department of Culture and Society. Although this is a highly qualified officer with many years of experience from the previous District Department of Education and Training, however, the decentralization of many tasks to the commune level also causes many difficulties. Issues such as professional guidance, personnel organization (appointment, reappointment of managers, teacher arrangement) or consulting on management of facilities and guidance on collections at the beginning of the school year are all new tasks, requiring a deep understanding of both policy and practice".

Faced with these challenges, in addition to taking advantage of the experience of the responsible staff, Thien Cam commune is building effective working channels with specialized departments and offices to ensure that all processes are carried out smoothly. The goal is to gradually perfect the apparatus and working processes to not only handle administrative work but also focus on improving the quality of education, meeting the expectations of local parents and students.

According to the Department of Education and Training, the implementation of two-level local government has brought initial positive impacts on educational management. The reduction of the apparatus helps to increase centralization and unity in management, allowing the Department of Education and Training and the Provincial People's Committee to directly direct schools and specialized units at the commune level. This helps to shorten the process of implementing policies, documents and professional instructions, limiting overlap and intermediaries. In addition, functions such as managing kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools are assigned directly to the commune level and inter-commune coordination centers. Thanks to that, localities are more proactive in allocating human resources, operating educational institutions and reducing administrative procedures.

However, because it is a new model, many localities are still confused in its operation. In addition, some legal documents are still overlapping, and the regulations on decentralization are unclear, especially in the management of educational staff. This makes it difficult to operate and guide units and localities.

Mr. Le Hoai Nam - Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel (Department of Education and Training of Ha Tinh) said that although most communes initially faced difficulties in terms of professional staff and management capacity, after only one month of operating under the two-level local government model, the commune-level staff in charge of education quickly grasped the work and implemented tasks smoothly, especially in preparation for the 2025-2026 school year.

"To ensure that the quality of education is maintained and developed sustainably in the context of changes in organizational structure, the Department has proactively advised and promptly issued many directive documents. This has created a solid legal basis, helping localities effectively implement educational management tasks. In addition, the Department has also promptly advised on reviewing staffing data, submitting to the Provincial People's Committee for approval of teacher recruitment targets for the 2025-2026 school year; advising the Provincial People's Committee to issue and deploy online public services, helping management work to be smooth. Thanks to that, all activities take place normally, without congestion or interruption. Educational institutions still maintain discipline and administrative discipline" - Mr. Le Hoai Nam added.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/moi-tu-duy-moi-ha-tinh-nang-cao-nang-luc-quan-ly-giao-duc-co-so-post293540.html