The risk of putting aside the dream of university for two twin sisters

(Baonghean.vn) -Currently is the "season" of admission to universities and colleges and is also the most worrying time for many families in the remote district of Ky Son.

Because of the difficult economic conditions, the only source of income is farming, so having enough money to pay for school is not easy. Therefore, there are students who are at risk of putting their dream of going to university aside because they do not have enough money to pay for school, including the situation of twin sisters Vi Thi Thuy and Vi Thi Chung (born in 1995) in Xop Nhi village, Huu Lap commune.

The small, cramped house of Mr. Vi Van Huan's family (Thuy and Chung's father) is located precariously next to Nhi stream. The top is covered with a few cement sheets, the bottom is covered with rotten bamboo fences, leaving the house bare on all four sides. There are no valuables in the house except for two bicycles that Thuy and Chung received as gifts when they studied at the provincial Ethnic Minority High School.

With a worried look, Mr. Vi Van Huan shared: "The two children will start school in early October, we need at least 5 million VND for the initial shopping and other expenses, but now we only have more than 900,000 VND. Meanwhile, the rice is almost gone, and we can only look at the vegetable garden for daily livelihood."

Mr. Huan's house

Mr. Vi Van Huan (born in 1942) and Mrs. Vi Thi Tuyet (born in 1959) have 3 children, in addition to the twin sisters Thuy-Chung, they also have a youngest son, Vi Van Hai (born in 1996), who is studying in grade 12 at the provincial Ethnic Minority High School. Previously, the family's situation was not too bad, but nearly 10 years ago, an accident occurred that caused Mr. Huan to break his cervical spine. At first, his whole body was paralyzed and he had to go to Hanoi for months of treatment before he could move. The accident caused his limbs to cramp, making it difficult for him to walk and he could no longer do heavy work.

During the time he was in the hospital, Mrs. Tuyet had to sell all her valuable belongings and borrow money to pay for treatment and medicine. On top of that, she suffered from polyarthritis, her whole body ached, and sometimes she was bedridden for months. Both husband and wife were sick and ill, so they were no longer able to work in the fields, only able to grow vegetables and beans in front of the house. The family could only live on that.

The worries of Mr. Huan and his wife and Thuy-Chung sisters because they do not have enough money to pay for school fees

Despite the difficult family circumstances, Mr. Huan and his wife's children are all studious and good students, achieving high academic results every year. In this year's university entrance exam, Vi Thi Thuy was admitted to the English Pedagogy major at Hue University of Education with a score of 21. Vi Thi Chung was admitted to the Geography Pedagogy major at Hanoi National University of Education with a score of 20. Both sisters enrolled in school in early October, but their families are poor and do not know how to make ends meet.

Talking to us, Thuy tearfully said: “I’m afraid I won’t have enough money to go to school. It’s corn harvest season here, so my sister and I decided to go pick corn for hire, earning 150,000 VND a day to save up. But it’s been raining heavily these past few days so we can’t harvest, we don’t know what to do.” As for Chung, with a sad face, she shared: “I’m thinking about selling my hair, maybe for a few hundred thousand. Right now there’s no other way...”.

Academic achievements of Thuy-Chung sisters

Hearing what his children said, Mr. Huan and his wife could not hold back their tears because they loved their children. Mr. Huan said: “I have learned about the policies and regulations, children who study pedagogy should be exempted from tuition fees, and given priority in dormitory accommodation. They can get preferential loans for poor students, and they are encouraged to work part-time and save money to cover their expenses for 4 years of university. The family is worried about how to pay for the tuition fees for the two children.”

Article and photos: Cong Kien