(VOvworld) – The keys to building new rural areas are effective use of investment resources, the involvement of the community, and competent officials. In remote mountain communes, the need for competent officials has been a crucial issue.
Making an inter-communal road |
In 3 years of implementing the program, Yen Bai province has achieved encouraging results. As a mountain province with difficult economic conditions, poor infrastructure, investment shortages, and untrained officials, it has been difficult for Yen Bai to fulfill the new rural criteria.
Trinh Xuan Thanh, Chairman of Thanh Luong commune in Van Chan district, says its communal staff plays an important role in building new rural areas. Their professionalism, dynamism, and pro-active approach have helped people thoroughly understand the benefits of getting involved in the new rural development program. Thanh Luong commune has 21 cadres under 40 years old who have attended advanced training courses. Many officials who are not local people have learned ethnic minority language to communicate with the local people better. Thanh says: "The communal cadres have met basic job requirements but there remain some limitations in their views and perceptions. We have 3 young cadres studying at university. We’ll also send 3 or 4 people to attend the provincial training program for key cadres."
In Yen Bai city, 86% of the communal cadres meet the national standard. Over the past 2 years, local administrations have created opportunities for hundreds of cadres to attend advanced training. Tran Thi Nguyet, Vice Head of the Economic office of Yen Bai city, says: "In order to consolidate the local political system, the city and communes have tried to improve the cadres’ political and professional knowledge. Before 2009, 69% of the communal cadres met the standard. The figure now is 86%."
Before implementing the new rural development program, less than half of 152 communes met the criteria for a strong socio-political organization. From 2010 to 2012, the province organized 2,100 individual trainings for communal cadres. Hoang Duc Vuong, Director of the Yen Bai provincial Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, talked to VOV about the future of the provincial training program: "We intend to offer 2,090 individual trainings for communal cadres between now and 2015 at an estimated cost of 320,000 USD. This includes 200 trainings for cadres in charge of Party affairs, 100 for the heads of communal People’s Committees and Councils, 1,190 for professional jobs, 400 for information technology, and 300 for ethnic languages."
Training personnel for the new rural program is an urgent requirement in many localities including Yen Bai province. The Party and State have issued incentives on improving the professionalism of cadres, particularly young cadres in remote areas.