Efforts to improve ICT Index

– With the efforts of agencies and administrative units, in the past three years, Lang Son’s readiness index for information technology (IT) development and application (ICT Index) has made a “leap”.

In 2017, Lang Son’s ICT index only reached 0.1897/1 point, ranking 58/63 provinces and cities, in the penultimate group. In 2020, Lang Son ranked 21/63 provinces and cities. Thus, from 2017 to now, the province’s ICT Index ranking has had a strong “leap” with the increased ranking of 37 times. To achieve the above results is thanks to the close direction of the Provincial People’s Committee, the active participation of agencies and administrative units. In particular, Department of Information and Communications as the focal agency, advised the Provincial People’s Committee to develop a plan, direct departments, agencies, districts and the city to maintain high score component indicators, actively improving low score component indicators such as IT application index; online public services; infrastructure and so on.

An officer of Department of Information and Communications checked the machine operation at the Provincial Data Integration Center

Mr. Nguyen Trong Hung, Head of IT Division, Department of Information and Communications said that for example, for the IT application index, since 2018, Department of Information and Communications has coordinated with other departments, agencies and districts and the city to organize many training courses for officials of agencies and administrative units to guide the use of specialized databases, electronic documents, open source software and promote the exchange of information via email and social applications and so on. As a result, the score of this component index has increased rapidly, if in 2017, the IT application index only reached 0.1541/1.0000 points, ranking 60^th ouf of 63 provinces and cities, in 2020, this index reached 0.2560/1.0000 points, ranking 18^th out of 63 provinces and cities.

For other indicators, each year, Department of Information and Communications in collaboration with other departments, agencies, districts and the city to organize tens of training courses on building sectoral databases; use utility applications and software; supporting and consulting technology solutions for districts and the city and so forth. Through that, many units such as Department of Health, Department of Education and Training, People’s Committee of Lang Son City … have quickly innovated and applied IT in work, contributing to improving operational efficiency.

Mr. Duong Anh Vu, specialist in charge of communication – IT, Department of Education and Training said: Over the past three years, we have advised the Department’s leaders to deploy many solutions to apply IT in education management, innovation in content, teaching and learning methods, testing, assessment and scientific research. Thereby, each year, the Department organizes about five training courses on IT application; hold meetings and foster cadres and teachers by online form; build online learning material repositories and question banks, deploying IT application models in schools and so on. Up to now, the whole sector has 93.6% of education managers, 82.4% of teachers and 42.8 % of employees have basic and advanced IT qualifications, meeting the requirements of management, teaching and learning in the digital age.

An officer of the Office of Department of Education and Training used specialized databases in performing duties

To continue to improve the ICT index, right from the middle of 2020, the Provincial People’s Committee and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) signed a cooperation agreement on telecommunications and information technology for the 2020 – 2025 period. In early 2021, Department of Information and Communications advised the Provincial People’s Committee to issue documents directing the implementation of solutions to apply IT in operating the activities of agencies and administrative units at all levels such as IT application plans in State agencies’ activities; develop digital government and ensure cyber security in the 2021 – 2025 period; the project to build a smart city in Lang Son province in the 2021 – 2025 period; build smart urban management centers and put into pilot operation in Lang Son city and Huu Lung district and so on.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huy, Director of the Department of Information and Communications said that IT has been and will make an increasingly large contribution to the province’s administrative modernization and socio-economic development. In order to properly recognize and better apply IT to the province’s general development, they are continuing to advise the Provincial People’s Committee to submit to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee to issue a thematic resolution on digital transformation to further improve ICT index in 2021 and the following years.

In recent years, “IT application” and “digital transformation” have become phrases that are mentioned a lot in development requirements of all industries, professions and fields across the country. With the above results, it can be affirmed that despite the low starting point, Lang Son has quickly seized the opportunity, made breakthrough efforts and made strong strides. This will be a premise to create a solid foundation for the province’s general development in upcoming periods