The Ministry of Education and Training plans to mobilise 237.5 billion VND (11.4 million USD) to combat HIV/AIDS during the 2011-20 period, the ministry announced on Dec. 23.

Around 58 percent of the fund is expected to source from the State budget while the rest will be mobilised from both domestic and foreign donors and other resources.

The project targets to improve knowledge and skills to prevent HIV/AIDS for all pupils, teachers, education managing staff and officials and pupils' parents by 2020.

It is also aimed at rubbing out completely discrimination against HIV/AIDS carriers at education and training establishments.

The first phase of the project will be carried out at 70 percent of education and training facilities at northern, central, central Highlands and southern regions from 2011-15 at an estimated cost of 137.5 billion VND (6.6 million USD).

The project will be divided into two phases, with the latter including 63 provinces and cities nation-wide from 2016 to 2020.

To fulfil the targets, the ministry will speed up HIV/AIDS prevention and education programmes, streamline related legal issues and incorporate HIV/AIDS-related knowledge into broader education programmes.

Statistics from the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Department show the total number of HIV/AIDS carriers stand at 185,000, while there have been more than 50,000 HIV/AIDS deaths in the country to date.

The number of HIV-infected children has increased to more than 4,200 and an estimated 400 children are infected with the disease each year./.