In the academic year 2008/2009, some 9 million lei will be earmarked by the government to provide children from vulnerable families with whatever they need to attend and stay in school, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of Social Protection Family and Child Galina Balmos said some 4 million lei will be allocated from the National Fund for Population Assistance and the remaining 5 million will be collected from the revenues of the local social assistance funds. This money will mainly go to children who are orphan and not institutionalized, to children from single-parent and large families, children with disabilities, children who lost their guardian, and children from low-income families, said Balmos. To increase the rate of school attendance among vulnerable families, they will be spared from paying fees for the use of textbooks. According to the authorities, starting October 1, 2008, through the implementation of the law on social assistance meant to ensure a guaranteed minimum monthly income to all beneficiaries, financial aid will be dispensed to underprivileged families, and the first will be those with children. For the academic year 2007/2008, the National Fund for Population Assistance allocated 8.1 million lei to send and keep vulnerable children in school. The average annual sum per recipient was 194 lei. Minister Balmos has observed that the amounts of this aid differed very much from district to district – while in Chisinau the average sum spent on a child was 432 lei, in Gagauzia it was 169 lei, and in Hancesti as little as 60 lei a year.