When universities announced the results of the university entrance exams, they brought joy to talented students. However, the results also produced concern among some students who fear they don’t have enough money to pay for their studies.

Half day at school, half day on rice field

Born into a farming family with seven members in Ung Hoa District in Hanoi, Le Minh Vuong participated in fieldwork everyday to help her parents earn a living. Vuong went to school in the morning and then spent the other half of the day on the rice field. During harvest time, Vuong had to take time off from school to help her mother harvest rice.

However, she still excelled academically. Vuong said she could never afford to go to examination preparation centers and she reviewed for the exams by herself. She borrowed books from friends and did the exercises from her books. In the days before the exams, Vuong held her baby brother in one hand, and held her books in another hand.

Vuong always had to stay up late at night to learn. She said sometimes she felt very sleepy, but she only managed to get a bit of sleep and then got up to continue studying.

Vuong’s great efforts have been repaid: she came in first on the entrance exam for Hanoi Medical University, with an astounding 29 score. She also received a 29 score for the entrance exam to Hanoi Foreign Trade University.

“I will pursue studies at the medical school. I want to become a good doctor who can cure people,” she said.

Sitting exams with half a portion

There is another talented person in Vuong’s class. His name is Pham Van Khanh. He came in first on the entrance exam to the Hanoi University of Technology with a 29.5 score, the youngest child in a poor farming family. His elder sister is studying at the Hanoi Foreign Trade University, while his father is suffering from schizophrenia and cannot work. As a result of his family’s difficulties, Khanh and his mother handle all the work in the family.

In the days before the exam, the talented student’s meal was just a small portion that he shared with his mother. The news that he came in first on the university entrance exam brought him great joy but also great concern. He still does not know how he can earn money to pay his tuition fees. Students who pursue technical studies spend five years at school. Meanwhile, his sister cannot help, because she needs money to pay her own tuition.

Hoang Van Quy, a student at HCM City University of Technology, has the same concern over tuition. His father is a mason while his mother is a worker at a rubber plantation. His family’s total income is about 3.5 million dong a month. With such a modest income, Quy’s parents have to save every dong to feed their three children. Quy does not have time to play like other students. During his free time, Quy helps his mother and father with their work so that they can earn more money. Quy’s biggest dream is to obtain a scholarship to study abroad.

“I will tutor so I have money to keep studying”

Ho Hanh Thao

“I’m so happy to hear that my daughter came in first on the HCM City Law University entrance exam, but I don’t know how I can earn money to support her studies,” said Nguyen Thi Thuc, the mother of the talented student Ho Hanh Thao.

In previous years, her family grew vegetables to earn a living. If vegetables sold well, they could get enough money to buy rice. However, Thao’s family had to relocate to another place six years ago, where there is no land to grow vegetables. Thuc opened a small café on the pavement and works as a babysitter to earn money to feed her family.

When asked about her plans to study at the university, Thao said she will tutor other students to earn money to pay for the tuition, so that she does not become a burden to her mother.

Source: Nguoi lao dong