PROMOTING LEARNER-CENTERED SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

PROJECT OVERVIEW REPORT: "PROMOTING LEARNER-CENTERED SCHOOL GOVERNANCE"

1. General Information

• Project Title: Promoting learner-centered school governance.

• Proposing Agency: Primary Education Department – Lao Cai Department of Education and Training (DOET).

• Managing Agency: Lao Cai Department of Education and Training.

• Funding Organization: Vietnam General Education Reform Foundation (VIGEF).

• Implementation Period: 18 months, from January 2019 to June 2020 (extended due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic).

• Project Locations: 5 primary schools representing different regions of Lao Cai province: Hoang Van Thu PS, Le Ngoc Han PS, No. 1 Muong Khuong Town PS, No. 2 Gia Phu PS, and Sa Pa Town PS.

2. Project Objectives

The project was designed with the core mission of transforming school governance mindsets by placing learners at the center. Key objectives included:

• Enhancing the professional capacity, ethics, and management skills of school administrators (CBQL) to meet the demands of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

• Mobilizing active participation from the community and parents in educational activities.

• Building "Happy School" environments focused on the comprehensive development of students' character and competencies.

3. Key Activities and Outputs

The project successfully delivered its commitments through a series of scientific and practical activities:

• Research and Assessment: Conducted initial and final surveys involving 37 school administrators and 227 teachers to identify management needs and awareness levels.

• Specialized Training: Organized 04 intensive training modules covering: Teaching and learning management, School culture, STEM education, and the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) model.

• Management Toolkit Development: Established a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) set specifically for primary schools, helping to transparently evaluate and improve governance quality.

• Publications: Published the Handbook "School Governance for Developing Student Capacity" as a guiding resource for sustainable management practices.

• Collaboration and Sharing: Facilitated multi-stakeholder dialogues, field trips, and provincial/national seminars to share experiences and scale the model.

4. Significant Impacts and Results

The project has brought about clear, positive changes to the local education sector:

• Capacity Building: 100% of participating administrators met the principal standards at a "Good" level. Administrators showed significant progress in decision-making, IT application, and change management.

• Student and Teacher Benefits: Approximately 5,000 individuals benefited directly from the project. Teachers adopted innovative teaching methods, while students enjoyed a more humanistic and modern educational environment.

• High Satisfaction: Upon completion, 97.3% of participants rated the project as "Very Effective". Furthermore, 100% of administrators and 99.52% of teachers agreed that the project should be replicated nationwide.

5. Sustainability and Future Scaling

The project's legacy is secured through several long-term initiatives:

• The KPI toolkit and Governance Handbook will continue to be refined and utilized as essential tools for local schools.

• The 5 participating schools now serve as model institutions for other schools to visit, learn from, and share best practices.

• Lao Cai DOET recommends expanding these governance strategies to further promote the sustainable reform of general education across the province.