VietNamNet Bridge – The education budget will be 2.9 per cent higher this year at VND5 trillion (US$256 million), according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

Nguyen Van Ngu, head of the Ministry's Finance and Planning Department, said it would fund 100 per cent of normal expenses by high schools and pre-university training schools for ethnic minorities, which are free.

This includes VND2.8 billion ($143,600) for scholarships and allowances for the students, according to Ngu.

While public universities and colleges offering economics and finance streams will be provided funds for all their normal as well as one-off expenses, those offering other streams will be subsidised in part.

The amount earmarked for regular expenses is around VND4.2 trillion, an increase of 11.9 per cent over 2010.

The amount to be spent on training a student will increase by at least 17 per cent at the university and college levels and 52 per cent at the doctoral level.

More than VND99 billion will be earmarked for the Ministry's advanced programmes.

The HCM City and Ha Noi Open Universities, National Economics University, Ha Noi University, Foreign Trade University, and the HCM City University of Economics will get a total of VND38 billion ($1.9 million) for buying equipment and building facilities.

Viet-Duc University and the University of Sciences and Technology in Ha Noi will get VND28 billion.

"Universities and colleges are in better financial shape now after tuition and enrollment fees were raised in 2010," Ngu added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News