Part 2: Turning challenges into opportunities

Gradually changing awareness

The clear benefits that digital transformation brings to education cannot be denied, especially in saving time, optimizing management, and renewing teaching methods. However, in a mountainous locality like Điện Biên, where many educational institutions still face shortages, initial implementation of digital transformation met many obstacles. Many schools lack minimum infrastructure, teachers are unfamiliar with technology, and some are even reluctant or passive in adopting new methods.

Nguyễn Tiến Thắng, Head of the Sub-department of Education and Training of Điện Biên Đông district, frankly admitted: “At the beginning, the hardest part was not computers or software, but changing mindsets. Many staff and teachers hesitated to innovate, doubted the effectiveness of technology, leading to procrastination. Therefore, we identified the key task as changing the awareness of management staff and teachers. Leaders must have vision, dare to act, and innovate to spread the digital transformation spirit…”

Currently, the education sector in the province has 15,614 staff, teachers, and employees; among them, 315 are IT teachers, accounting for about 2.02%. Notably, 84.5% of staff and teachers have at least basic IT certification. This shows clear progress in training human resources to serve digital transformation. Teachers are not only proficient in office software but also skilled in preparing electronic lessons, using teaching software, exploiting online learning materials, handling technical issues, and ensuring network information security.

Phạm Xuân Tiến, Deputy Head of the Sub-department of Education and Training of Mường Ảng district, said that digital transformation cannot rely solely on equipment but must start from people. Besides investing in infrastructure, they focus on organizing training and technology skill classes for teachers. Currently, the district has 22 IT teachers with IT university degrees and about 630 staff and teachers with basic IT certificates, reaching 75%.

To date, Điện Biên has organized more than 14,400 training sessions for staff and teachers to improve digital skills. Trainers are IT teachers and IT staff from schools who have undergone intensive training. The education sector also sends staff to participate fully in cybersecurity drills. The sector emphasizes spreading basic digital skills to students across the province with five key contents: using online public services, online shopping and payment, self-protection in cyberspace, and familiarization with digital platforms suitable to each locality. Many IT-skilled teachers have joined community digital technology teams to support locals in accessing digital services, helping to spread digitalization throughout society.

Mobilizing resources for digital transformation

In the context of limited budgets, the Điện Biên province’s education and training sector has actively mobilized socialization resources, cooperating with programs and organizations inside and outside the province to strengthen IT equipment for students and teachers. We still remember the joyful image of teacher Lê Xuân Vỹ, Principal of Sa Lông Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary School (Mường Chà district), receiving more than 80 tablets supported by the “Internet and Tablets for Children” program. For schools in highland areas like Sa Lông commune, going to school is already a happiness, so students never imagined they could buy technology devices to meet learning needs. Therefore, teachers and students consider this a precious gift opening up technology access opportunities for highland students.

“Previously, during online learning because of Covid-19, students almost had no learning devices. Now, although they have returned to in-person learning, the tablets are still extremely useful. We maximize the use of devices to guide students to familiarize with technology, access learning resources, practice digital skills, laying the foundation for the school’s digital transformation,” shared Vỹ.

Not only in Sa Lông commune, many other schools have also received practical support. Up to now, Điện Biên’s education sector has received and distributed 5,000 tablets with 4G SIM cards for students studying online. Besides, the sector has purchased nearly 13,000 tablets from various sources to serve learning, teaching, and management needs. The total number of computers currently in educational institutions is 12,605, including over 3,100 machines for office tasks and nearly 9,500 machines used in teaching. Most schools have wifi coverage and high-speed internet connection, meeting the needs of accessing digital resources for teachers and students. The provincial Department of Education and Training continues to cooperate with agencies, units, and businesses to mobilize sponsorship for computers, teaching equipment, and software support. This is a sustainable approach to ensure synchronized infrastructure for the entire sector’s digital transformation.

Digital transformation in education is not a short-term goal but a long journey towards a modern, equitable, and integrated education system. Proper investment in human resources through training and digital skill dissemination has helped teachers and students adapt faster to the digital educational environment. Meanwhile, society’s accompaniment through support programs for equipment has helped shorten the digital divide among regions, ensuring all students have equal opportunities to access knowledge through technology.

With these initial results, Điện Biên’s education sector has been building a relatively solid foundation to fulfill the tasks within the national digital transformation program.