Many universities in Ho Chi Minh City that have been allocated land as many as 12 years ago to build new facilities have made no headway because of impediments in site clearance and compensation, a SGGP survey has found.
The Van Lang Private University was allocated 5.2 hectares of land in Go Vap District in August 1998, but up to now, only 69 percent of the site has been cleared, said principal Dr. Nguyen Dung.
To acquire the remaining part of land, the school has been negotiating with local residents but does not know when it can finally get it, he said.
“The problem is how the compensation should be calculated to satisfy both the school and households whose land has to be acquired. Mutual consent is very important,” he explained.
The Banking University of HCMC has received 19 hectares of land in Nha Be District, but city authorities have asked the school to pay in advance the expenses on site clearance and compensation.
“The total expense is estimated at VND50 billion (US$2.63 million), equivalent to the school’s annual operating costs,” said principal Dr. Ngo Huong.
“If we spend this amount on site clearance and compensation, we have to halt our operations for one year. The authorities have imposed on us a problem for which we cannot find an answer,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Van Hien Private University has entered its 13th year of operation but has found no land to build its own facilities. Currently, all its facilities are in rented buildings.
The same situation can be seen with most private universities.
In 2007, Van Hien was allocated 5.7 hectares of land in Binh Chanh District, “but since then up to now, we have failed to clear a single square meter of land, due to troubles related to compensation,” said principal Nguyen Mong Hung.
One of the largest university projects in the country is the construction of the HCM City National University. The project is designed to use 600 hectares of land but after 15 years, this is at a standstill.
The main reason is again site clearance and compensation.
In a recent report to the National Assembly, city People’s Committee Standing Deputy Chairman Nguyen Thanh Tai said: “The city is stepping up the re-arrangement of its school systems and the re-examining the allocation of land to universities. The city is seeking ways to assist universities in their development of infrastructure.”
“The Government can build schools and lease them to us. We will also pay the land rental to the State for 10, 20 or 30 years, depending on the agreement,” Dr. Dung suggested.
He stressed that “if the Government continues to allocate land and then ask schools to pay site clearance and compensation expenses immediately, we cannot see when we can build a new facility.”
Dr. Huong suggested revenues from the sale of Government bonds are used to pay these costs.
“This is a method being applied in many countries in the world," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Training, Nguyen Thien Nhan, said that the Government has assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Construction Ministry to make plans for re-allocation of land to schools.
“Hopefully, this year, with many new policies from the Government, we can find effective solutions to develop school projects,” Nhan said.
