Universities to report on work with partners

The Ministry of Education and Training has asked universities, colleges and institutes to submit reports on co-operative programmes in education and training with foreign partners, setting the deadline by the end of February. The ministry will carry out inspections on the programmes in the second quarter of the year. The move aims to improve the management of the co-operative programmes between domestic and foreign schools.

Saigon Co.op signs argricultural produce deal

The HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Saigon Union of Trading Co-operatives (Saigon Co.op) on Tuesday signed an agreement on agricultural produce. Under the agreement, the department will help farmers who supply food to the Co.op supermarkets meet Global GAP (good agricultural practises) standards. Saigon Co.op agreed to participate in several projects to control the quality of agricultural produce and foodstuff and promote the competitive capacity of the breeding sector.

Sanitation workers get two days off

The State-owned HCM City Environmental Company has announced that the city’s urban sanitation sector will not be in service on February 14-15 during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. An additional 7,200 staff and more than 500 vehicles will work all day February 8-13, and from February 16-18 to ensure that the large volumes of rubbish generated during Tet are picked up.

Laid-off workers in HCM City get benefits

The HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs yesterday provided unemployment benefits and health insurance cards for the first laid-off workers of the year, said Trinh Thi Quynh Chi, director of the city’s Job Service Centre. Chi said the centre offered benefits to 39 workers. The centre has received 2,500 unemployment benefit claims since the beginning of January. Nearly 1,000 applications are awaiting evaluation.

Kien Giang Province builds sea dykes

More than 200km of sea dykes in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang have collapsed, according to the provincial People’s Committee. The province plans to invest VND453 billion (US$25.2 million) to build a 20km-dyke route stretching from Hon Dat District to Kien Luong District and another VND40 billion (US$2.2 million) to plant 300ha protective forests along the sea dykes from now until 2013.