During its 7th session, which will open on May 20, the National Assembly will ratify a new Minister of Education and Training, said Government Office Chair, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, on May 12. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan will no longer concurrently hold the Minister of Education position. Nhan temporarily handed over his job at the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to Deputy Minister Pham Vu Luan so that he could focus on his job as Deputy Prime Minister. MOET presently has four Deputy Ministers: Pham Vu Luan, Tran Quang Quy, Nguyen Vinh Hien and Nguyen Thi Nghia. Nguyen Thien Nhan, 57, is a professor of economics and a doctor of cybernetics. When he assumed the ministry post in 2006, he immediately launched the campaign “Say No to Cheating in Exams and Formalism in Education.” In July 2007, the National Assembly approved Nhan as Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Education and Training. On May 12, the National Assembly Standing Committee commented on preparations for the upcoming session. Accordingly, during the 26-day session, the National Assembly will consider and vote on the following bills: the Law on the State Bank of Vietnam, Law on Credit Institutions, Law on Housing and Land Tariffs, Postal Law, Law on the Execution of Civil Verdicts, Law on Adoption, Law on Economic and Effective Use of Energy, Law on Disabled People, Law on Commercial Arbitrators and Law on Food Safety. The government proposed that the National Assembly put three bills on hold – Law on the Capital City, Law of the Sea and Law on Public Investment – until the next session since more time is needed to revise them. The upcoming NA session will spend 2.5 days for questioning the cabinet. They will only discuss the Law on Environmental Protection Tariff, Inspection Law, Mineral Law, Law on Administrative Procedure, Law on State Employees and Law on Protection of Consumers. Members will also approve the resolution on construction of the North-South express railway and discuss Hanoi’s master construction plan to 2030. The government must present reports on the Dung Quat Oil Refinery No.1, the investment plan of hydro-power projects, leasing forests to foreign investors, and management of real estate business and land prices.
