HCM CITY– The HCM City People’s Council yesterday approved many policies related to solutions for cultural and socio-economic development, especially for provisions covered by National Assembly Resolution No 54 for “piloting a special mechanism and policy for the development of the city.”

The approval was carried out during the 12^th session of the council.

The approved policies include reduction of tuition fees and new facilities for private kindergartens and nurseries in industrial parks and export processing zones.

The tuition for secondary school students in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12, Bình Tân, Tân Bình, Tân Phú, Phú Nhuận, Gò Vấp, Thủ Đức and Bình Thạnh will fall by VNĐ40,000 (US$1.7) per month beginning in January.

Tuition for secondary school students in districts Củ Chi, Hóc Môn, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè, and Cần Giờ will fall by VNĐ55,000 per month (US$2.4) and VNĐ20,000 per month at  kindergartens and nurseries.

The city will allocate VNĐ34.7 million ($1,493) each to 99 nurseries which need to improve quality of training and VNĐ78.6 million each to six nurseries that face facility shortages.

Moreover, cameras will be installed at all  of these 105 nurseries in the city to ensure children’s safety.                                                                                                         

The People’s Council also approved a policy to attract talented staff, especially for sectors in science-technology, policy making and urban infrastructure, public services, culture, art and sport, and others.

The initial assistance for these staff will be VNĐ50 million for one time only. Their salary and other allowances will range from a total of VNĐ20 million to VNĐ50 million.

They also will be provided public accommodation or 50 per cent discount on rental fees.

In another matter, the city reached its poverty reduction goals targeted for 2016-2020 two years early.

So, the council also approved to increase standards for the poor and near-poor for the 2019-2020 period.

For the so-called income-based poverty dimension, the annual income would be less than VNĐ28 million per capita, higher than VNĐ21 million now.

The annual income of people considered near-poor will be from VNĐ28 million to VNĐ36 million.

The council also approved resolutions on expenditures for training for state employees; funds for buying health insurance cards for leprosy patients treated at Bến Sắn Medical Centre in the city’s neighbouring Bình Dương Province, and others.–VNS