Nghe An: Overcoming difficulties to enhance the effectiveness of grassroots cultural and sports facilities.

On the morning of April 24th, at the Cultural House of Hamlet 8, Nam Anh Commune (Nam Dan District), the Provincial People's Committee organized a conference on solutions to enhance the effectiveness of the grassroots cultural and sports facilities system in Nghe An Province.

Comrades Bui Dinh Long – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and Tran Thi My Hanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, chaired the conference. Also attending were representatives from the leadership of various departments, agencies, and localities.

A view of the conference on solutions to improve the effectiveness of grassroots cultural and sports facilities in Nghe An province. Photo: Minh Quan.

There are still many difficulties.

According to the report from the Department of Culture and Sports on the current state of grassroots cultural and sports facilities, at the district level, 20 out of 21 districts, cities, and towns have cultural and sports centers; 18 out of 21 district stadiums (to date, 3 districts and cities still lack district-level stadiums, including Quy Chau, Ky Son, and Vinh City); 8 out of 21 districts, cities, and towns have gymnasiums managed by the district, and there are 77 single-sport and multi-sport gymnasiums managed by various departments and units within the district.

At the commune level, by the end of 2022, the number of communes, wards, and towns with cultural and sports facilities was 446 out of 460, reaching 97.1%; the number of communes, wards, and towns with cultural and sports facilities meeting the regulations of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was 339 out of 460, reaching 73.5%.

For villages (hamlets, blocks, neighborhoods), the number of villages with cultural centers and sports fields is 3,751 out of 3,800 villages, reaching 98.7%; the number of villages with cultural facilities and sports fields meeting the standards prescribed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is 2,839 out of 3,800 villages (74.5%); the number of villages after mergers with planned land for cultural facilities according to regulations is 1,675 out of 1,790 villages (93.5%).

The cultural center in Hamlet 8, Nam Anh Commune - one of the model grassroots cultural and sports facilities in the province. Photo: Minh Quan

In recent times, despite positive impacts on the development of cultural, artistic, and sports movements at the grassroots level, the operation of cultural and sports facilities in the province still faces some limitations and difficulties, such as: Planning land use for the construction of cultural centers, especially sports fields in mountainous and coastal villages, and stadiums in communes and wards (in Vinh City) to meet regulations remains challenging due to a lack of available land or scattered land plots; some cultural and sports facilities were planned and built many years ago (especially in villages after mergers), resulting in small scale and many cultural centers being dilapidated, thus failing to meet the increasingly high demands for cultural and spiritual life of the people. The progress in achieving the target of having cultural and sports facilities that meet the standards set by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in mountainous districts is still slow.

Volleyball friendly match at Thanh Yen commune volleyball court (Thanh Chuong district). Photo courtesy of Huy Thu.

Furthermore, some localities have invested in cultural centers and stadiums but have not been proactive in innovating the methods of organizing and guiding activities to suit the requirements of political tasks and the cultural needs of the people; the operation of the library system and traditional rooms in communes, wards, and towns is not effective, many communes, villages, hamlets, and neighborhoods still lack libraries and book collections, and the number of books is still poor and rudimentary; some localities have not really paid attention to directing the management and exploitation of sports facilities, especially the socialization and leasing of facilities according to regulations.

Furthermore, the staff working in culture and sports in some districts, communes, wards, and towns are assigned but lack expertise in culture and sports, resulting in insufficient and weak advisory capacity for Party committees and authorities, as well as limited experience in organizing activities. In type 2 and type 3 communes, only one cultural and social affairs official is assigned, and the large workload creates many difficulties and pressures in fulfilling assigned tasks. Securing matching resources for the construction of community cultural centers and stadiums in accordance with Resolution No. 30/2020/NQ-HĐND dated December 13, 2020, of the Provincial People's Council on policies supporting the construction of cultural and sports facilities at the grassroots level in Nghe An province faces many difficulties.

Seeking solutions

At the conference, representatives from various departments, agencies, and localities exchanged opinions and analyzed the causes of difficulties and limitations such as: the vast geographical area for grassroots cultural activities, primarily in mountainous regions; and the challenging living conditions and budget revenue in rural and mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.

Representatives from the Nam Dan district leadership and several departments and agencies attended the conference. Photo: Minh Quan

Furthermore, the leadership and guidance of some local Party committees and authorities have not been sufficiently focused, specific, thorough, or consistent, and have not correctly recognized the position, role, and importance of culture for sustainable development. Investment in cultural and sports facilities from the province, district, and commune levels, although receiving attention, remains low and does not meet requirements. Mobilizing social resources from the people is also limited, especially in localities with difficult socio-economic conditions.

Delegates also proposed several solutions to improve the effectiveness of grassroots cultural and sports facilities, such as: implementing policies to assign cultural and social officials to meet job requirements; increasing support for the construction of village cultural centers; and promptly developing plans to address surplus cultural facilities after village mergers to create investment resources for building standard cultural facilities…

Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, Tran Thi My Hanh, received and discussed the opinions.

In his concluding remarks at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long acknowledged the achievements of the Department of Culture and Sports and the localities in building and effectively developing the system of grassroots cultural and sports facilities.

Agreeing with the difficulties and limitations in the operation of cultural and sports institutions in the province that the delegates pointed out at the conference, the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee suggested that each district should have its own Resolution on promoting grassroots cultural and sports institutions, thereby establishing a mechanism to mobilize resources for building cultural institutions.

Furthermore, to develop the system of grassroots cultural and sports facilities, the Department of Culture and Sports needs to coordinate with other departments and agencies to develop a comprehensive plan for the use of existing facilities to avoid waste, while also mobilizing resources for reinvestment in cultural and sports activities at the grassroots level. For facilities slated for investment, a comprehensive assessment of all items is necessary, and the Department should advise the Provincial People's Committee to avoid investing in unnecessary items.

Comrade Bui Dinh Long - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, delivered a speech at the conference. Photo: Minh Quan

Comrade Bui Dinh Long also suggested that relevant sectors and localities should strengthen professional guidance for grassroots cultural and sports institutions; organize cultural, sports, and recreational activities that are suitable to the characteristics of ethnic groups and regions, linked to the real needs of the people and various groups of people, and attract people to participate in these activities.