Directive No. 07/2007/CT-BGTVT on continuing to improve the quality of training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses.

DIRECTIVE

Regarding the continued improvement of the quality of training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses

and driver's permits

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Implementing Resolution No. 13/2002/CP dated December 19, 2002 of the Government on measures to curb the increase and gradually reduce traffic accidents and traffic congestion, Directive No. 22/CT-TW dated February 24, 2003 of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on strengthening the leadership of the Party over traffic safety management work, the Ministry of Transport has coordinated with relevant ministries and sectors to issue related documents concerning training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses (DLs), creating a legal basis for training institutions, Examination Centers, and localities to implement these tasks. The Vietnam Highway Administration, Departments of Transport, Public Works and Transportation (DOT, DOTC) have made significant efforts in organizing training, examinations, and issuing DLs, thereby largely addressing the situation of motorcyclists without DLs and meeting the demand for learning and taking exams for car DLs from the public; guiding and directing organizations and individuals to invest and build 32 examination centers equipped with automatic scoring devices, ensuring accuracy and objectivity, reflecting the true skill level of drivers, facilitating people's access to learning, testing, and examination for driving licenses; coordinating with competent agencies to regularly inspect training institutions and the management of DL examinations, firmly revoking the training licenses of institutions that do not meet the prescribed standards, suspending operations, and strictly punishing organizations and individuals who violate regulations. Therefore, in recent times, there have been many positive changes in the work of training, examination, and issuance of DLs.

However, through inspection and supervision from the beginning of 2003 to now, three training licenses for driving were revoked, twenty-two automobile training facilities and eight motorcycle training facilities were suspended temporarily; the capacity of one automobile training facility was reduced; nine local management agencies and nine automobile driving training facilities were criticized and warned; twenty-two examination officer cards, ninety-six certificates of practical driving instructors, and six improperly issued practice vehicle licenses were recalled; the quality of training remains low, some training facilities still cut training content and programs, outsourcing practical teaching to instructors. According to public opinion, at some training facilities, students still have to pay additional fees to supplement practical driving lessons, even paying extra to start classes earlier; the management of trainees in class still has many limitations, especially those holding categories B1 and B2. The phenomenon of proxy test-takers in motorcycle driving examinations still occurs in some localities; procedures for issuing and renewing DLs are still cumbersome, delayed, and do not comply with the timeframes stipulated by the Ministry of Transport.

To continue improving the quality of training, examination, and issuance of DLs, eliminate the negative practices and fundamental issues mentioned above, contributing to curbing and reducing road traffic accidents, the Minister of Transport instructs:

Chapter I. Vietnam Highway Administration

1. Coordinate with the General Department of Vocational Training - Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to standardize forms and templates in the field of driver training based on strict management, reducing administrative procedures in training and issuing vocational certificates; guide the Departments of Transport, Public Works and Transportation in directing training institutions to invest in technical infrastructure and specialized expertise to enhance the capacity of driver training towards socialization to meet the learning needs of the public; ensure the quality of training, improve knowledge of road traffic laws, and practical driving skills.

2. Regularly update and supplement new regulations, knowledge, and advanced technology into training programs and teaching methods; continue to perfect the curriculum to ensure rationality, practicality, and relevance to reality.

3. Review the instructor team according to the prescribed standards; regularly organize training courses to improve the professional expertise of instructors, examiners, and managers based on improving the organization of training and teaching methods currently in place.

4. Adjust examination questions in accordance with guidelines to improve the quality of training and examination, helping learners understand the law, handle situations correctly during traffic participation, avoid rote learning, and learn only for examinations. Study measures to eliminate potential negative practices that may occur during the examination of practical skills handling real-life situations on two kilometers of public roads.

5. Develop plans to train direct instructors, examiners, review, adjust, and supplement contents regarding learning and examination for category A2 motorcycle licenses (motorcycles with cylinder capacity of 175 cm3 or more) to meet Vietnam's commitments upon joining the WTO. Coordinate with relevant agencies to research and develop procedures and automatic scoring equipment for the examination and issuance of category A2 motorcycle licenses.

6. Urge, guide, and strictly monitor the activities of driving examination centers to ensure accurate, objective, and truthful examination results; guide the completion of certain Class 1 driving examination centers in the planning but with slow construction progress in Hanoi, Can Tho, Son La.

7. Periodically calibrate the automatic scoring systems for practical driving tests at examination centers to ensure stability and accuracy.

8. Implement the "Plan to Improve the Quality of Driver Training, Examination, and Issuance of Car and Motorcycle Licenses" issued along with Decision No. 726/QD-BGTVT dated April 4, 2007 of the Minister of Transport.

9. Study administrative reform in the management of training, examination, and issuance of DLs; reduce direct examination points as they currently exist.

10. Need to publicize regulations in the fields of training, examination, and issuance of DLs through mass media to dispel negative perceptions and incorporate constructive contributions from the public to supplement and amend management and operational aspects of driver training, examination, and issuance of DLs.

11. Strengthen surprise inspections and supervision of training, examination, and issuance of DLs; promptly address violations according to regulations.

Chapter II. Departments of Transport and Public Works

1. Based on local training needs and current capacity, develop plans to guide educational institutions to strengthen technical facilities and specialized professional skills, enhance training capacity; expand and develop new training institutions towards socialization of training activities; implement the process of modernizing driving training vehicles according to regulations.

2. Localities that have not established Driving Examination Centers with automatic scoring equipment, or those that already exist but do not meet training requirements, with wide residential areas, Departments of Transport and Public Works need to develop plans to report to the People's Committee of the province or city for the construction of Driving Examination Centers type 2 towards socialization to facilitate citizens in learning and taking driving license exams. For Driving Examination Centers type 3, Departments of Transport and Public Works organize and direct the establishment, inspection, confirmation, and operation.

3. Strengthen management work, improve professional and specialized knowledge for managers; direct educational institutions to strictly implement training content and programs, continuously improve quality, and comply with current regulations on training, examination, and issuing driving licenses.

4. Direct educational institutions to organize certification examinations for vocational certificates strictly and in accordance with regulations, ensuring training quality.

5. Coordinate with the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to rigorously inspect motorcycle driver training activities at educational institutions, ensuring sufficient road traffic laws, driving techniques, and practical driving instruction time as prescribed so that motor vehicle drivers understand and voluntarily comply with the Road Traffic Law; conduct regular inspections and supervision of automobile and motorcycle driving examinations to prevent corruption.

6. Train, nurture, and strictly manage the examination staff; if there are allegations of corruption, verify and resolutely discipline, transfer to other positions if corruption occurs. The department directs and organizes driving examinations well, preventing any signs of corruption during the examination process, especially for category A1 motorcycles and 2 kilometers on public roads for automobiles. Resolutely eliminate intermediary procedures causing negative public opinion and misinformation in training, examination, and issuance of driving licenses.

7. Maintain regular and surprise inspection, supervision, and timely handling of violations in training, examination, and issuance of driving licenses within their authority and implement reporting systems as prescribed.

Chapter III. Educational Institutions

1. Continuously improve technical facilities and specialized professional skills to enhance training capacity, meeting the needs of citizens for learning and taking driving license exams.

2. Strictly implement training content and programs as prescribed by the Ministry of Transport; organize certification examinations seriously according to current regulations.

3. Publicize openly admission procedures, training fees, and driving examination fees as prescribed; directly sign training contracts containing all required provisions with students; do not accept training applications or handle certification procedures through intermediaries in any form.

4. Implement measures to classify instructors' levels, particularly those teaching practical driving, and organize further training to improve professional skills, ensuring high-quality teaching, helping students master vocational skills: apply advanced teaching methods and equipment to meet diverse student needs.

5. Manage the collection and use of driving training fees according to current regulations.

6. Regularly self-inspect and direct management operations to continuously improve training quality; identify, prevent, and resolutely eliminate any corruption in driving training at the institution.

Chapter IV. Driving Examination Centers

1. Maintain and improve the technical infrastructure, service capacity, ensure and create favorable conditions for examination boards and candidates to take driving examinations.

2. Proactively adopt automatic scoring technology equipment; regularly maintain the equipment to ensure the system operates accurately as required for examinations.

3. Establish and report to the competent authority the rental fees for the training grounds, practice cars, and automatic scoring equipment of the driving examination centers, and publicly display them for implementation and supervision by all parties.

4. Organize the management of activities at driving examination centers in accordance with current regulations.

Chapter V. Departments and Inspectors of the Ministry

1. The Finance Department collaborates with relevant agencies under the Ministry of Finance to study and advise on financial mechanisms regarding tuition fees for driver training programs to ensure training institutions have the necessary conditions to teach according to the curriculum and training program, and examination fees for driving examination centers to maintain and enhance their technical infrastructure, and implement driving examinations in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Transport.

2. The Cadre and Personnel Organization Department monitors the implementation of the regulations of the Ministry of Transport in this field; through mass media and feedback from grassroots levels, cooperate in researching and revising management regulations for training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses to continuously enhance the responsibility of management agencies, training institutions, driving examination centers, and improve the quality of driver training and examination.

3. The Science and Technology Department leads the coordination with related agencies to continue researching and developing automatic scoring systems and procedures applicable to motorcycle category A2 driving examinations.

4. The Health Department of the Ministry of Transport reviews the health standards for individuals operating motor vehicles on roads as prescribed by the Ministry of Health; advises and proposes to the Ministry of Transport to seek opinions from the Ministry of Health to issue health standards for remaining categories in accordance with the Road Traffic Law and directives, and instructs provincial and centrally-administered city health departments to strictly manage healthcare facilities in conducting health examinations and issuing health certificates for operating road motor vehicles, ensuring only those who meet the health criteria are allowed to drive.

5. The Inspectorate of the Ministry promptly investigates violations by management agencies, training institutions, and driving examination centers upon discovery or public complaints; strictly and promptly handles violations in accordance with current regulations.

The Ministry of Transport requests that relevant ministries, departments, and provincial and centrally-administered municipal people's committees within their scope of authority and responsibilities closely coordinate with the transport sector in managing and directing to enhance the quality of training, examination, and issuance of driver's licenses.

The Ministry requires the heads of departments, directors of the Health Departments of the Ministry of Transport, the Director of the Vietnam Highway Administration, directors of provincial and centrally-administered city transport departments, heads of training institutions, driving examination centers, and related agencies to urgently implement this Directive./.