The road to effective governance and transparency is long. Taking a moment to reflect on milestones and accomplishments is essential to keep efforts on track and motivation high. So, what have our five interns been doing recently to help transform Lebanon’s Vehicle Registration Office into a case study of good governance, fiscal responsibility, and public service delivery?
The Software Development Team
The development team embarked on an intensive two-month learning journey, specifically dedicated to designing and implementing an innovative module to streamline driving license issuance for citizens.
This service was previously paper based and highly susceptible to bribery and corruption, leading to a very high backlog of license applications. By digitizing the driving license application and examination process, and the issuance of certificates confirming completion of required driving classes, the Traffic Management Department aims to:
Reduce corruption risks associated with driving schools issuing certificates without proper registration and evaluation
- Extend digitalization to driving schools, requiring them to create profiles with necessary documentation
- Resume driving license exams promptly
- Generate additional revenues by expediting the examination and license issuance process
During the two-month period, our interns invested a substantial amount of time exploring and assimilating new technologies, delving into the realms of agile and scrum methodologies, and devising solutions tailored to the specific needs of the driving school domain.
Their dedication proved pivotal, not only for the project itself but also for the positive impact it had on the community. Through their efforts, they helped create an innovative tool in a very short time, not only meeting the requirements of driving schools but also facilitating the study of driving license applications. Their hard work and commitment and results can only push us further toward the digitization of the entire driving system in Lebanon.
The Research Team
The research team’s work spanned three areas: first, a detailed exploration of online auction systems; second, legal and operational considerations relevant to the driving school industry; third, customer satisfaction surveys.
The first component will inform our development of a digital tool to enable the transparent sale of vehicle registration numbers. The current system for selling desirable registration numbers lacks transparency and is prone to corruption, leading to a loss of revenue for the state. Creating a user-friendly e-auction system and integrating it within the Traffic Management Department website should help tackle this. The in-depth analysis and benchmarking of online auction sites revealed the need and the associate benefits of a plate number auction site. It also highlighted gaps in Lebanon’s regulatory framework, accentuating the importance of clarifying these aspects to ensure optimal and secure operation.
The second research component exploring the driving school sector will inform the digitization of the Traffic Management Department’s business processes. With a digital system, driving schools will be able to integrate all their data – including information on instructors, vehicles and applicants – into a centralized and auditable platform. This will result in the issuance of a unique digital certificate that accompanies each application.
Finally, the customer survey at Nefaa Dekwaneh revealed high levels of satisfaction among citizens and employees using the new ticketed queueing system. The chaos, lack of order and organization that previously reigned in Nefaa Dekwaneh disrupted the flow of operations and became unsustainable. Overall contentment was expressed regarding the queueing system’s smoothness and effectiveness. It now takes less time and fewer trips to finalize a transaction. These improvements ensure a more satisfying citizen experience.
This edition of Youth4Governance raised crucial points for consideration to strengthen future projects, highlighting the needs to address evolving requirements and growing expectations. The innovative solutions developed by the interns contribute significantly to the broader mission of Youth4Governance, empowering youth to engage with public administrations and institutions for the betterment of governance in Lebanon.