As a result, the entire sector has seen positive changes, forming a tight-knit digital system across educational institutions, from teaching and learning to management. These results have significantly contributed to the modernization of education, enhancing the quality of education, and positively contributing to the implementation of the digital transformation project and the “Digital literacy for all” movement in the province.

Part 1: Challenges in digital transformation

The digital transformation in the education and training sector is gradually being implemented with the hope of improving the quality of teaching and learning. However, this transformation journey still faces many challenges, particularly related to infrastructure, outdated equipment, and the severe shortage of IT professionals. These barriers are directly affecting the progress and effectiveness of digital transformation at educational institutions, especially in remote areas.

Challenges in infrastructure and equipment

As a mountainous and border province, Điện Biên faces many difficulties in applying IT and modernizing education management. Infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges. The Education and Training sector in the province currently has 482 schools, centers with 7,294 classes and 207,233 students. Currently, there are 12,605 computers used for management, teaching, and learning, of which 7,691 are outdated, accounting for 61%, and there is a shortfall of 5,158 computers compared to the demand. Many computers have deteriorated, with low configurations, and are unable to run the latest software versions. Additionally, investments in equipment such as projectors, interactive whiteboards, and smart classrooms remain limited, mainly due to low investment funds.

In many areas, especially in districts such as Tủa Chùa, Mường Nhé, Mường Chà, Nậm Pồ, the lack of infrastructure and equipment for digital transformation in education remains a difficult issue. Most schools lack IT equipment like computers, projectors, and interactive whiteboards; many existing devices are outdated, with low configurations, and cannot meet the requirements for installing modern learning software.

Ngô Xuân Chiến, Head of the Education and Training Sub-department in Nậm Pồ district, said that in many rural schools, teachers still have to use old computers running outdated operating systems. Some computers can only run word-processing software and cannot operate online teaching applications. The lack of equipment makes it very challenging for teachers to prepare digital lessons.

Although all schools in Điện Biên province now have broadband internet connections, many schools, especially at the elementary level, still lack stable connections. Of the 1,210 schools, only 234 have broadband, 823 use 4G networks, and 153 schools have no internet connection at all. This causes significant difficulties in applying technology to teaching, especially for software and management systems that require stable online connections.

Shortage of human resources

In the process of implementing digital transformation in the provincial education and training sector, human resources remain one of the biggest obstacles. Not only is there a shortage in numbers, but the workforce supporting IT applications and managing digital systems also lacks the necessary technical expertise.

Currently, the province has around 15,760 staff, teachers across various levels, but only 307 teachers are trained in IT, accounting for less than 2% of the total. This highlights the significant gap between actual needs and available human resources in the context of technology increasingly playing a key role in management and teaching. In many schools, especially in remote areas, there is only one IT teacher who also doubles as the network administrator and technical support for the entire school, from updating software to repairing devices.

The “lack of people - lack of expertise” situation is causing many obstacles in implementing digital platforms. Many schools struggle with using management software, accessing digital learning resources, conducting online classes, or even operating presentation devices and interactive whiteboards due to the staff’s lack of formal training in IT.

Đỗ Văn Sơn, Head of the Education and Training Sub-department in Tuần Giáo district, shared: “Currently, our unit does not have a dedicated IT staff member to handle IT tasks and digital transformation at both the administrative and educational levels. Temporary staff members have not been trained in-depth in IT, especially in the field of cybersecurity. Therefore, we hope that relevant departments will consider organizing advanced training courses for professionals handling IT tasks and digital transformation to improve their capabilities to meet the requirements of their duties.

In early childhood education, digital transformation largely depends on the teachers’ initiative to learn, as there are almost no dedicated IT teachers. Many current management applications require skills in using office software and online reporting systems, which leaves early childhood educators feeling quite confused.

Lò Thị Thời, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Education and Training, said that while the current IT infrastructure has partially met the requirements for management and teaching, many devices have exceeded their useful life, with low configurations that cannot run modern software and operating systems. Additionally, the IT staff in institutions are mostly temporary and have not been trained in-depth, which is a major barrier to the effective implementation of digital transformation tasks.

Moreover, most current software is built on an online platform, requiring stable internet connections. However, in many schools in rural areas, internet access remains limited. This not only causes difficulties in accessing the system but also poses a security risk when data cannot be synchronized and protected according to proper standards.

In the context of a shortage of both equipment and human resources, many teachers have not stopped trying to update their technology skills, explore software to support teaching, and even design their own digital lessons to help students in remote areas access modern learning methods. Digital transformation in the education and training sector is not just a race with technology, but also a journey to sustainably improve the quality of education. Although there are still many difficulties, especially in terms of human resources and infrastructure, with the determination of the entire sector, from the management levels to the teachers in remote areas, digital transformation is gradually spreading, contributing significantly to the digital transformation process across the province.