Over hundreds of kilometers, parents take their children 'to the city' to take the exam

The oldest parent in the province

Mrs. Phung Thi Huong is 91 years old this year, with white hair, leaning on a cane and walking unsteadily, but she still took her granddaughter more than 150km from Chau Hoan commune, Quy Chau mountainous district to take the entrance exam to Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2. At the beginning of the exam, the granddaughter took the opportunity to review her lessons with her friends, while her grandmother sat far away, squinting and watching attentively. "She has no one else, she lost her mother when she was 1 year old, and her father when she was 4 years old, and her grandmother has raised her since she was little. These past few days, she has been taking the exam at the boarding school, so her grandmother and several families in the village whose children are taking the exam took the bus to Vinh city," said Mrs. Huong.

Parents and students at the exam site of Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2. Photo: Duc Anh

Parents of the ethnic boarding school all come from mountainous villages and highlands to take the exam, a distance of hundreds of kilometers, in some places more than 300 kilometers. Therefore, in recent days, the school has created conditions for parents and candidates to stay free of charge in the dormitory area.

“My grandmother also lives in the dormitory. Seeing my difficult and struggling situation, everyone encouraged and helped me a lot, giving me food vouchers so I could feel secure going to the exam,” said Ms. Huong.

At the age of 91, Mrs. Phung Thi Huong still brought her grandchild from Quy Chau to Vinh to take the entrance exam to Ethnic Minority Boarding High School No. 2. Photo: My Ha

Mrs. Phung Thi Huong's granddaughter is Chao Thi Ngoc Truc, a former student at Quy Chau Ethnic Minority Secondary School. According to Mrs. Huong, although her family is poor, Truc has been independent, well-behaved, and tried hard to study since she was young. Last school year, she also won third prize in the provincial excellent student category in Civic Education.

Tired, hard work but still happy

For the second time in two consecutive years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Soa (Canh village, Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district) traveled a distance by motorbike to Vinh to take her child to the exam. Meeting her again in front of the gate of the provincial ethnic minority high school when she was trying to coax her youngest child, about 4 years old, to sit quietly, this woman with a hard-working face said: "Last year, I went down to encourage my older brother to take the national high school graduation exam. This year, my younger brother went down to register for the exam."Grade 10, Provincial Ethnic Minority High School. La Thi Thuy Ha is studying at a secondary school near her home and could study at a high school in the district. But her wish to go to Vinh to study, I have to support her."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Soa and her daughter in front of the gate of the provincial Ethnic Minority High School. Photo: My Ha

Having said that, she told a story about her children, about having just borrowed 30 million VND to have myopic eye surgery for her son: Last year, La Tat Thanh (her son) got 26 points in his graduation exam, plus the bonus points, so he could have passed the entrance exam to the University of Medicine. But then, he said that his parents were so poor, where would they get the money to pay for his tuition, and then there were his younger siblings. His biggest wish was to go to a military school, but his eyes were nearsighted and did not meet the standards. He stayed home to study for the exam all year. Even though I had no money, I still took him to have eye surgery so he could have a chance to go to school. It was very hard at home.

This woman also admitted that she was uneducated. Meanwhile, her husband was orphaned since childhood, illiterate, and the family has been poor for many years. Despite their extremely difficult circumstances, they did not want their children to repeat their parents' lives, so for many years the couple's greatest wish was for their children to study well and have jobs: "For the sake of my children, I accept everything. Even though I am tired, I am still happy" - she added with a big smile.

Ethnic minority students who come to Vinh city to take the 10th grade exam all bring with them their own ambitions, their families, their teachers and their schools. Photo: Duc Anh

To get to Vinh in time for the exam, Soa and her three children traveled together on a motorbike and had to get there a day early. When they arrived at the provincial Ethnic Minority High School, they met their son's old teachers and were assisted by a volunteer team to stay for free in the school's dormitory. Lunch and dinner were also eaten with the students. After this exam, at the end of June, she might have another trip to take her son La Tat Thanh to retake the exam for the second time. She always has optimism and absolute faith in her hardworking children...

This year, the provincial Ethnic Minority High School has more than 500 students registered to take the exam. If calculated based on the competition ratio, admission to the school is even more difficult than the top public schools in the province. Not only competing in the same school, students in each district also have to compete with each other, because the quota is assigned to each district. With this special nature, only students who are truly capable can confidently register to take the exam to enter the provincial boarding school.

Volunteers at the provincial Ethnic Minority High School support the students. Photo: NTCC

Having a child taking the exam this year, Ms. Vu Thi Nhu (Hamlet 9, Nghia Xuan Commune, Quy Hop District) said: I am nearly 40 years old and just gave birth to my second child, so all my family's wishes are placed on my child. I did not have the opportunity to study, my husband and I are both farmers, so I do not know how my children are studying. When I heard my child said he registered for the 10th grade exam in the province, I was very surprised. But then my family supported me and I was very happy. Thanks to my child taking the exam, I was able to go to Vinh for the first time. Yesterday, my child said he did quite well on the test, and I hope he will do even better today to fulfill his dream.

To support candidates living far away, more than 2 weeks before the exam, the Provincial Ethnic Minority High School and Ethnic Minority High School No. 2 proactively provided phone numbers, contacted some cheap hotels or allowed parents and candidates to register for free accommodation at the school. Meals for parents and candidates were also served attentively in the school cafeteria...

These beautiful and valuable experiences have also motivated the students to try harder, so that the exam season, although still stressful, has become much easier...