Reforming evaluation of cadres – substantive measure for new era of development

Reforming the evaluation of cadres and civil servants through substantive performance metrics is an urgent priority for Dong Nai province in the current period. This initiative aims to build a streamlined, lean, efficient and effective administrative apparatus that provides the best possible service to citizens and businesses.

Cadres and civil servants at the Dong Nai Provincial Public Administration Service Center receive and process administrative procedures for citizens. Photo: Cong Nghia

Work results are the clearest "guarantee" of the leadership capacity and moral character of cadres and civil servants in the new era. Therefore, the evaluation of cadres must be truly reformed according to new regulations from the Central government and linked to the actual situation in Dong Nai.

Urgent requirements arising from development-enabling process

During a meeting with leaders of Party commissions on the morning of the 1st day of the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, Member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Council Ton Ngoc Hanh requested the heads of Party commissions to accelerate the realization of the Resolution of the 1st Provincial Party Congress, for the 2025-2030 term, emphasizing that officials and civil servants of the Party commissions of the Provincial Party Committee (PPC) must go beyond their "paperwork" of advising the standing board of the PPC to directly engage in direction at the grassroots to achieve the goal of double-digit GRDP growth. Therefore, reforming evaluation of cadres and civil servants toward clear quantitative criteria is the "key" to unlocking the strong development-enabling motivation for the province in the new era.

Against the backdrop of the province’s evolving development landscape, as a series of key projects and large-scale land clearance work worth tens of trillions of VND are urgently underway, there’s an increasing demand for decisiveness, a spirit of "daring to think, daring to do," and high performance efficiency. A typical example of this breakthrough spirit is the effort of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, which completed the identification of all land plots in the province in just a short period of time to serve administrative reform. This achievement not only enhances state management capacity but also serves as vivid proof of the effectiveness of a sensitive and decisive personnel evaluation system.

3 core new points in the evaluation of cadres and civil servants according to Decree No. 335/2025/ND-CP of the Government, stipulating the evaluation and classification of quality for state administrative agencies and civil servants:

- Applying KPI (100-point scale) to end subjective evaluations; actual work results are decisive (accounting for 70%).

- Measured by output products (evaluating capacity through 3 indicators: quantity, quality, and progress).

- Comprehensive digitalization: Mandatory operation of evaluation software, data linkage no later than July 1, 2026.

Throughout the development-enabling process, administrative reform must be considered a breakthrough spearhead, requiring cadres who directly interact with the public to consider the affairs of the people and businesses as their own. On the very first working day after the Lunar New Year 2026 holiday, Comrade Nguyen Van Ut, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, directly inspected and conducted a “rapid assessment” of the professional knowledge of the contingent of civil servants at the Provincial Public Administration Service Center. This move sent a strong message: the evaluation of capacity is not based on records and resumes but must be measured by actual qualifications and the most dedicated service attitude.

Facng the practical "bottlenecks", Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Ut also set strict requirements for civil servants from provincial level to communes to always maintain their exemplary professionalism and demonstrate a respectful and service-oriented attitude towards the public. Innovating the evaluation work is to create a safe legal corridor to protect and encourage cadres who are brave and willing to take responsibility for the common good. When true capacity is recognized appropriately by quantitative measures, the "flame" of dedication will ignite, completely breaking the inertia and the term-based thinking that still exists.

Synchronous solutions with work efficiency as the yardstick

In the coming time, the work of cadre evaluation needs to be drastically implemented, delving deeply into each administrative unit at the commune level. The focus of the evaluation is to standardize and improve the professional qualifications of grassroots cadres, and at the same time, serve as a basis for the province to continue strengthening cadres with practical capabilities to directly support the commune level.

Clearly recognizing the role of the team directly handling work with the people, Comrade Ta Quang Truong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Council of Xuan Hoa commune, shared: The locality always strives to innovate working methods to best serve the people. When identifying the people and businesses as the center of the commune's development, cadres and civil servants must constantly improve their qualifications to become the most effective supporters when handling administrative procedures.

The substantial evaluation results from the electronic system and public feedback must be used as the core basis for making decisions on cadre planning, promotion, and rotation. The personnel arrangement process requires absolute transparency, completely eliminating favoritism, localism, or group interest thinking that stifles true talents dedicated to serving their homeland. A well-designed reward mechanism coupled with strict penalties will generate strong incentives, and at the same time automatically filter out underperforming individuals from the apparatus.

In parallel with a transparent evaluation system, inspection and examination of public service performance must be conducted continuously, delving into the substance rather than merely being formal and perfunctory through reports. Focusing on strengthening unannounced inspections at sensitive stages such as receiving administrative dossiers or site clearance will promptly rectify and thoroughly prevent manifestations of harassment and negativity. Strict sanctions combined with a set of evaluation criteria measured by work efficiency will establish a solid administrative discipline, fully meeting public expectations.

By Cong Nghia – Translated by Mai Nga, Thu Ha