Back to school season and parents' worries…

(Baonghean) -The new school year, along with the excitement of students when getting to know new friends, new classes or the joy of seeing teachers and friends again, is the anxiety of parents, especially for low-income families facing not small expenses...

The husband works in the police force, the wife is a housewife, the family of Mr. Tuan and Ms. Hai in Tan Tien block - Hung Dung ward (Vinh city) cannot help but worry about the new school year for their two children, one in grade 2, one in grade 4 when everything related to the school year has increased in price. Ms. Hai said: "Just the money spent on buying uniforms, books, backpacks, pens, and school supplies to prepare the children for school has cost over 2 million VND. That is not to mention the miscellaneous contributions at the beginning of the new school year. This year, the boarding school fee for the son has also increased, the tuition fee for the youngest daughter has also increased 1.5 times because it is in the category of semi-public kindergartens converting to high-quality public models. I am worried about how to manage...".

The worries of Mr. Tuan and his wife are also a hot topic of discussion among nearly a dozen families of civil servants renting accommodation in the Tan Tien apartment complex (Hung Dung ward). Ms. Thanh, a math teacher at a junior high school in Nam Dan who rents accommodation in the same building as my family in the apartment complex, could not hide her worries: "A teacher's salary is meager, and her husband is a bulldozer driver. In the dry season, he still has work, but in the rainy season, he has some work and some not. While prices are skyrocketing, there are many expenses for two children entering the new school year, and then there are the increased rents, electricity, and water bills. Thinking about it is a headache..."

Shopping for children for the new school year is a concern for many parents.
Photo TH



First day of school. Photo: GH

For those who are well-off, these expenses are not much, but for those who are poor and have low incomes, their hearts are filled with hundreds of worries because of the burden of expenses at the beginning of the school year for their children. The more children a family has, the more miserable it is. I have a friend named P who lives in Nghi Phu. Both husband and wife are civil servants, with a monthly salary of nearly 5 million. The family has 3 daughters, the eldest is in 3rd grade and the two twin girls are in kindergarten. The salary is not enough to cover living expenses, so he has to work hard outside, but life is still difficult. "Normally, even if we are very frugal, the cost of food, school fees, clothes, and milk for 3 children each month must be at least 4 million. At the beginning of the new school year, with all the big and small expenses, it has to double. In addition, everything we buy must be 3 of the same things, for example 3 bags, 3 pairs of shoes, 3 dresses... makes my husband and I sweat." Mr. P shared.

Passing through the stores selling books, stationery, school uniforms... before the new school year, it is not difficult to recognize the anxious eyes, hesitant gestures of many parents when standing in front of the stalls. But that's not all, after "stretching themselves" to take care of their children's luggage for the new school year, parents are "nervous" with the worry of overcharging school fees. It is true that the Department of Education and Training has clearly regulated the fees at the beginning of the new school year, but the implementation of the public regulations and the management of revenue and expenditure at the beginning of the year in some schools is still confusing and unclear. Many parents said that they are often very shy about "negotiated" and "voluntary" fees.

Because of the difficult life, income only depends on rice grains, potatoes, chickens, pigs, not enough to pay for their children's education, many families in the countryside have children admitted to prestigious universities and colleges but have to let their children learn a trade to earn a living or choose a school near home to reduce costs. Although the government has had support policies such as tuition exemption or loan programs for poor students, the loan is nothing compared to the many expenses that a student away from home has to worry about, from food, accommodation, tuition to books, documents, extra classes and other fees... especially in the current period of skyrocketing prices. To support poor students before the new school year, many bookstores have promotional discount programs for children of policy families, excellent students, many organizations, individuals, units, agencies, unions inside and outside the province launched programs to donate books, notebooks, paper and pens, and award scholarships to students in difficult circumstances. These are practical actions that create motivation for students to go to school. The attention, support, and sharing dedicated to poor students in remote, isolated, and disadvantaged areas and the reduction of "unofficial" income... will ease the burden of worries on the shoulders of poor, low-income working families before the new school year and the joy of going to school for students will be more complete and meaningful.

Gia Huy