Shenzhen government will spend 4.9 billion yuan (US$612 million) on education, and science and technology, according to its 2006 budget, which was delivered at the annual session of the local legislature on March 22.

The amount allocated to science and technology development, the software industry fund, the high-tech project fund and subsidies to high-tech industries totals 2.4 billion yuan, up 44 percent from last year.

Expenditure on education will rise 63 percent to 2.3 billion yuan, which will be spent mainly on the construction of new schools.