YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. 72.1 bln drams (about 173.3 mln USD) was allocated from the RA state budget to the sphere of science and education in 2006. The fulfilment index made 88.5%. The deviation is mainly conditioned by a low implemenation index of grant and credit programs on elementray, main and secondary education. Without these programs, the fulfilment index made 99.5%. There was a growth of allocations with respect to all subgroups of the education and science sphere as compared with 2005, as a result of which expenditures grew by 18.6%, the RA deputy minister of finance and economy, chief treasurer Atom Janjughazian said at the September 5 joint sitting of the RA National Assemly standing committees. According to him, 72% of expenditures on the sphere of education and science or about 52 bln drams was allocated for the comprehensive education system. The annual program was fulfilled by 84.9%. The deviation was mainly caused by delay in incurring expenses envisaged by the Lincy Foundation grant programs, as well as by underfulfilment of the education quality and conformity credit program implemented with the assistance of the World Bank. In 2006, over 4.3 bln drams was allocated from the state budget to general special programs whose implementation index made 98.1%, 2.3 bln drams - to out-of-school education (99.9%), and about 5.3 bln drams - to higher and post-graduate special education programs (99.9%). 5.2 bln drams was allocated to science, which made 99.8% of the envisaged amount. Financing of science was done by basic, target-progam and contract principles. Allocations to science grew by 25.1% as compared with 2005, which is due to an increase in salaries, social insurance payments, in the number of post-graduate students and their scholarships, as well as by a growth of capital expenditures.

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