VietNamNet Bridge – The Ha Noi-based National University of Economics has been found to have illegally collected fees worth more than VND51 billion (US$2.4 million) from its students.

This is one of many allegations that were publicly made against the university by inspectors from the Ministry of Education and Training at a press briefing on Tuesday.

They said that the university illegally collected more than VND22.1 billion ($1.05 million) in PhD and Masters training fees and over VND7.9 billion ($370,000) for enrolment fees.

The university's fee demands were based on a number of expired legal documents and irregularities were found in their receipts.

Many of the university's construction projects have also been put under the microscope, with inspectors finding evidence of misconduct in the purchasing of some assets and the selection process for hiring contractors.

They have also been accused of illegally appointing and promoting officials, and failing to respond sufficiently to complaints.

Inspections were made by the ministry from July 2008 to May this year, said the chief inspector Nguyen Huy Bang.

He proposed that the university be punished and the illegally collected fees be returned. The university's headmaster was asked to take general responsibility for all of the wrongdoing, and institution was told to immediately solve its shortcomings.

Source: VNS