A majority of public opinion supports removing the distinction between formal university degrees and in-service degrees when selecting or streamlining commune-level officials. Instead, emphasis should be placed on actual work performance.

Le Van Tuan shared: “Currently, many commune-level civil servants in Ho Chi Minh City hold intermediate or college degrees but have long experience, which allows them to perform their jobs smoothly. When deploying district officials to communes, we should not immediately eliminate commune officials post-merger just because they lack a university degree.”

He argued that efforts should instead focus on reducing the number of underperforming officials who fail to meet job requirements.

Preventing corruption from the start

Many readers stressed the importance of preventing corruption in the selection process. A reader named Hoang suggested, “Organize public exams on computers, then shortlist candidates for in-person interviews evaluated by panels made up of members from other provinces to avoid nepotism.”

Reader Linh Anh agreed, advocating for competitive exams to select qualified civil servants and proposed cross-provincial evaluation to prevent corruption in appointments and promotions.

Others suggested practical assessments to reflect real-world understanding, regardless of whether candidates hold in-service or formal degrees.

Reader Nguyen Van Thanh recommended taking cues from how international businesses evaluate employee performance, proposing that exam results be generated automatically to ensure fairness. “Who scores the exam is crucial. Computer-based testing with instant grading would ensure objectivity,” he noted.

Nguyen Duc Dong echoed this, urging the Ministry of Home Affairs to create secure, computer-based exams, scored in real time, and monitored by surveillance cameras to prevent cheating.

Commenting on the overall process, Ngo Hoai emphasized, “Holding competitive exams is a good idea, but the key is ensuring integrity. The concern is that relatives of officials may still be favored with pre-assigned positions. Exams are necessary - but only if corruption is eliminated from the outset.”

Performance should be the benchmark

Many agreed that educational qualifications - whether formal or in-service - should not be the deciding factor when performance is the true measure of an official’s competence.

According to a report by the Ministry of Home Affairs, as of December 31, 2023, Vietnam had 212,606 commune-level officials and civil servants. Their professional, political, and administrative qualifications have gradually been standardized to meet socio-economic development demands.

Reader Thuy commented, “Degrees are just a basic requirement. Evaluation should be based on feedback from local residents and the official’s actual job performance. Written tests cannot fully reflect real-life capabilities.”

Reader Hang Su added that academic qualifications do not necessarily equate to effective job performance - especially at the grassroots level. As a district civil servant working directly in a commune, he observed a significant gap between theory and practice. “Real-world work requires entirely different skills and experience than what is taught in school,” he said.

Nguyen Long offered a nuanced view, acknowledging that there are practical differences between formal and in-service degrees when applying for jobs, but concluded, “A degree is the necessary condition; being able to do the job is the sufficient one.”

“To build a competent civil service, the entry process must be rigorous, followed by annual evaluations to remove those who fail to improve their skills,” he added.

Finally, reader Nguyen Dang Sang emphasized that qualifications - regardless of whether they are from formal or in-service programs - should not be the focus. What matters is choosing those who can perform, who possess professional ethics, a sense of responsibility, and moral integrity. “These cannot be evaluated through tests alone, but only through their actual performance,” he concluded.

The Vinh