Digital transformation - a breakthrough in Hai Phong's education sector.

In recent years, the Hai Phong Education sector has proactively promoted the application of information technology and implemented digital transformation to improve the quality of teaching, learning, and management.

Digital transformation is strongly boosting the education sector.

On June 3, 2020, the Prime Minister issued Decision 749/QD-TTg approving the "National Digital Transformation Program until 2025, with orientation to 2030".

Accordingly, education is one of the eight sectors that need to be prioritized for digital transformation, because education is a field with direct and daily social impact on people. Successful digital transformation of education will help change people's perceptions most quickly, bringing efficiency and cost savings to many activities in social life, while also creating momentum for digital transformation in other sectors.

Launching the city's integrated data sharing platform for the education sector.

In implementing the National Digital Transformation Program, the People's Committee of Hai Phong City issued Plan No. 227/KH-UBND on "Digital Transformation of Hai Phong City by 2025, with a vision to 2030," setting the goal of being among the top 15 provinces and cities nationwide in the Digital Government Development Index.

With the basic goal of developing a digital government by 2025, the task is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, achieving 80% of online public services at level 4, provided through various access methods, including mobile devices; 90% of work files at the city level, 80% at the district level, and 60% at the commune level being processed online; 100% of periodic reports and statistical reports on socio -economic issues serving the direction and management of the City People's Committee and the Chairman of the City People's Committee being implemented through the city's reporting information system; and 50% of inspection activities by state management agencies being conducted through the digital environment and the information systems of the management agencies.

By 2030, the goal is to achieve 100% online public services at level 4, available through various access methods, including mobile devices; 100% of work files at the city level, 90% at the district level, and 70% at the commune level will be processed online; a data platform and Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure will be established, enabling widespread connectivity and sharing among government agencies, reducing administrative procedures by 30%; data will be opened to organizations and businesses, increasing data-driven innovation services for citizens and businesses by 30%; and 70% of inspection activities by state management agencies will be conducted through digital environments and information systems of the management agencies.

In line with the national digital transformation initiative, the Hai Phong Department of Education and Training has issued Decision No. 118/QD-SGDĐT on the restructuring and renaming of the Steering Committee for building e-government in the education sector of Hai Phong city; Plan No. 39/QD-SGDĐT on the issuance of the operational plan of the Steering Committee for digital transformation in the education sector of Hai Phong city; and Official Letter No. 2518/SGDĐT-VP dated September 15, 2023, on guiding the implementation of tasks related to the application of information technology, digital transformation, and education statistics for the 2023-2024 school year.

In the digital transformation program for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, the Hai Phong Education sector has set out six groups of solutions to effectively achieve the goals by 2025: 100% of educational units and institutions applying information technology in management and administration, synchronized with the sector's data system; 100% of educational units and institutions connected to broadband internet connections sufficient for the effective deployment of online applications; completing the construction of a digital library portal and an online teaching and learning system for all secondary schools in the city…

Furthermore, focus on digital transformation in education management, perfecting the electronic office system, public service portal, and electronic "one-stop" system, implementing online administrative procedures at the entire level; simultaneously, building a digital data ecosystem for the education sector, ensuring connectivity with smart city systems, and positioning the education sector as a leader in the city's digital transformation.

Overcoming challenges step by step on the digital transformation journey.

The digital transformation in education brings numerous immense benefits. However, the education sector in Hai Phong also faces several challenges such as a lack of technical infrastructure and internet access, difficulties in training teachers in digital skills, adapting to change, divergent approaches to technology, differences in teachers' knowledge, and initial investment costs.

Mr. Tran Tien Chinh, Chief of Office of the Department of Education and Training of Hai Phong.

Mr. Tran Tien Chinh, Chief of the Office of the Department of Education and Training, stated that there are three key factors determining the success of digital transformation in the education sector: infrastructure, equipment, funding, and human resources.

On the other hand, managing students through virtual classrooms still faces many difficulties and shortcomings, requiring close coordination with parents; some schools lack online teaching equipment, and some students from disadvantaged backgrounds do not have the necessary equipment for online learning; moreover, maintaining online teaching management software requires a considerable amount of funding…

Sharing the difficulties on the path to digital transformation, the leader of the Education and Training Department of Thuy Nguyen district further informed: the physical facilities, network infrastructure, and equipment such as computers, printers, internet connections, and internet services in most schools are still lacking, old, outdated, and not synchronized due to long-term installation and lack of investment and replacement funds. Many schools also lack personnel to assume the role of administrators, and the older teachers have weak IT skills and are not actively self-learning and training. In addition, there is a lack of a common data hub for the entire sector to manage and use data synchronously and conveniently.

Faced with these difficulties, the city's education sector is gradually overcoming them through specific solutions such as: continuing to promote the application of digital technology and digital platforms to innovate the content and methods of teaching and learning (electronic lectures, smart digital learning materials, helping to combine in-class and online learning, virtual reality), deploying applications on smart devices (apps) for parents and students to provide information and participate in school services.

Simultaneously, we will promote research, innovation, and testing of digital technologies in education, organize networking events, and seek support from organizations and businesses to implement digital education applications and platforms.

Training on "Applications of AI in building learning materials and developing professional documents" at the Thuy Nguyen District Education Department.

In addition, it is necessary to enhance the IT application capacity of teachers and administrators through regular training courses; cooperate and train digital transformation personnel on digital technologies applied in education and training, including educational IT standards, big data technologies, mobile technologies, etc., as the core of digital transformation in education.

To date, the Department of Education and Training has determined that digital transformation has been, is, and will be a mandatory requirement for educational institutions to implement in order to ensure the progress and quality of training, and to ensure all activities in organization and management are geared towards sustainable development.

Students are increasingly adapting to digital transformation.

Digital transformation has gradually shifted teaching methods from traditional to active learning approaches, helping teachers and students develop their thinking skills, creativity, initiative, and effectiveness. This not only improves the quality of education but also saves time, allowing teachers more time for their professional development and closer attention to students, thereby fostering a more positive educational process in schools.

Van Cong

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