"Spend every thousand dong, just hope you have enough books to go to class"
In a small rented room near Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi), Mr. Nguyen Van Thang - a worker at a business in Thang Long Industrial Park - is busy preparing for lunch. But Mr. Thang's eyes are still on the concern: "There is still about a month left until graduation. Now I have to save as much as I can to both send my two children to school and take care of my life.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang shared that his two children are in primary and secondary school in Hanoi. Although tuition fees are exempted and reduced according to the State's policy, the expenses at the beginning of the school year are still not small. The tuition fee for each child is nearly a million VND, not including backpacks, shoes, uniforms, notebooks... Each amount of a few hundred thousand VND, combined with 4 - 5 million VND. His monthly income is about 7 million VND - that amount of money is a "family" to spend on a month's living for the family.
"To have enough money to buy things for my child to go to school, my family had to cut down on spending to the maximum. reduces the meat from every day's meals... The fan has been used for a long time, but still doesn't dare to buy a new one. With the change I have saved for a whole month, I have only saved enough to cover the cost of the beginning of the school year, Mr. Thang said chokingly.
Not only Mr. Thang's family, in boarding houses near Thang Long Industrial Park, the concern at the beginning of the school year has covered many worker families. Most of them are arrived workers, whose children study at public or private schools near their boarding houses.
Mr. Cuong (from Nghe An) shared: My wife and I have been working as workers in Hanoi for more than 4 years, with a monthly salary of more than 7 million VND, and raising our children to go to school. Every school year, I have to accumulate and save money in monthly expenses, just hoping to have enough money to buy school supplies for my children.
The cost of the first school year includes: tuition fee (300,000 - 800,000 VND depending on the level), uniforms (300,000 - 500,000 VND/monster), backpacks, notebooks, school supplies (500,000 - 1 million VND), not including the Parents' Association fund, extra classes... Although some expenses can be paid gradually during the school year, for me, the total cost at the beginning of the year of up to several million VND is still a shock - beyond immediate payment ability, Mr. Cuong added.
Many parents and workers have reported that although they have been exempted from tuition fees, it is still difficult to access cheap textbooks, especially when new textbooks are constantly changing. borrowing or asking for old books is difficult because each year a different department or program depends on which set of books the school chooses to teach.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan - a worker at a company in Thang Long Industrial Park - lamented: "Before, I used to get old books from acquaintances, now the program has changed, old books cannot be used. While the daily income is only about 270,000 VND, each child goes to school and carries a burden.
Poverty cannot be inherited
Ahead of the new school year 2025-2026, many workers are still running around, working overtime or taking extra evening shifts to be able to save enough money for their children to get to class.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang shared: "I just hope my children have enough books, not inferior to their friends. Even if I have to work overtime until late at night, I accept it. Going to school is the greatest wish of my life as a parent. Hopefully one day the children will 'change their lives', have a brighter future".
Mr. Thang shared that many workers like him had to go through hardship in their childhood, not being able to go to school, and having to work hard early. Therefore, he deeply understands the value of learning: I dont know English, but my child must know. I am not allowed to go to university, but my child must have a bachelor's degree".
