NA deputies scrutinise budget for new textbooks
Deputies posed a range of questions to Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha in the Q&A session at the ongoing 10th sitting of the 14th National Assembly (NA) in Hanoi on November 6.
Answering a query on the budget to compile new textbooks and documents and arrange training, the minister said the Government has approved US$80 million for the project, of which US$77 million is official development assistance (ODA) from the World Bank and the remainder reciprocal capital.
The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has returned to the WB US$16.5 million in funds it will not use, he explained.
Some US$12 million will have been mobilised by December, and MoET has reviewed non-essential spending related to training, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nha affirmed that the ministry has returned US$29.7 million to the Government and exerted every effort to cut spending from the State budget on compiling textbooks.
Responding to another question on the slow issuance of a guiding document on teaching general knowledge at vocational schools, he said it is still being mulled over by relevant agencies at the ministry.
The ministry has worked with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) on the issue and a draft circular is set to be promulgated later this year.
More time is needed, however, to avoid overlaps, he added. In the meantime, schools are advised to follow existing regulations.
