Candidates who earn their own money to go to school

Vy and Nhung moved from Nghe An to Bac Ninh to work as seasonal workers, while the top student in block C in Hung Yen peeled longan to earn money to pay for his studies.

Every day at 8 p.m., Nguyen Thi Nhung and Phan Thi Huyen Vy, both from Nghe An, walk back to their rented room, ending a working day that began at 8 a.m. They had dinner at the company before going home, so Nhung and Vy took a shower, called home for a while, then went to bed early to go to work the next morning.

"I'm exhausted. My eyes are tired, my hands are scratched and bruised, and my back is sore. Being a factory worker is very hard," Nhung said.

Nhung and Vy are former students of the Vocational Education Center - Continuing Education Center of Do Luong District. After finishing their high school graduation exams at the end of June, they both took a bus to Bac Ninh to apply for seasonal jobs at a Chinese electronics company. Their job was to load and check goods. They both had to open packages and manually sort metal components.

"Every day we do the same work over and over again. We are not allowed to talk while working," Nhung shared. During the summer of 10th and 11th grade, both of them went to Bac Ninh to work part-time to earn money for school. During the school year, both of them worked as waiters at restaurants.

After finishing the night shift on July 18, Nhung and Vy received news that they had scored 26.75 and 26 points respectively in block C (Literature, History, Geography), with the possibility of being admitted to many universities.

"We were so happy we wanted to cry. We both wanted to go to Hanoi Pedagogical University, Da Nang Pedagogical University and Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities," Vy said.

Since knowing the score, both of them have been spending more frugally, saving money for tuition. With a salary of 5.1 million VND per month including allowance, both of them rent a room for 1 million VND to share, and eat at the company. Each of them saves 4 million VND per month.

Nhung and Vy took a bus to Bac Ninh to apply for seasonal jobs in early July. Photo: Character provided

For over a month now, Le Minh Hieu, a former student of class 12A7 at Nguyen Trung Ngan High School, Hung Yen, has also taken the opportunity to peel longan for hire early in the morning.

"You have to go early to get a lot of longan to get a lot of money. But this year there are few longan, I can only peel 25 kg per session, with a salary of 4,000 VND/kg," Hieu said.

Hieu has been doing this job since 7th grade to pay for his own school fees. The job requires patience and manual dexterity, so that the longan flesh remains intact after the seeds are removed. After many hours of peeling, Hieu’s fingers are swollen and tired. In addition to peeling longan, Hieu also works as a hired laborer.

The male student was an excellent student for three years in high school and won second prize in the provincial Geography exam in grade 12. In the recent graduation exam, Hieu was the valedictorian of block C in Hung Yen province with 29 points, including 10 in Geography, 9.5 in Literature and History. Considering many university wishes but having to carefully consider the tuition fee, Hieu chose the Literature Pedagogy major at Hanoi National University of Education.

Hieu is good at social subjects and won second prize in the provincial Geography competition in grade 12. Photo: Provided by the character

All three students said they realized they needed to make efforts to change their lives, instead of being bored or waiting for help from others.

Hieu said the local authorities have provided him with some financial support, but he believes that taking the initiative to work and earn money to create opportunities for himself to study is a decisive condition for future success. This will help him cover the initial admission fees and purchase school supplies.

"Waiting for someone to help without trying yourself will easily lead to discouragement and dependence," Hieu acknowledged.

Vy and Nhung also have similar thoughts. Moreover, according to the two female students, working as a factory worker not only brings income to go to school, but also helps them interact with and gain social understanding.

"We need to explore many environments and learn to be independent early, not to rely on others, and to avoid being a burden to our families," Vy said.

According to Ms. Phan Thi Hang, a teacher at the Vocational Education - Continuing Education Center of Do Luong district, many students choose to work abroad or work freelance after graduation, but Nhung and Vy have good academic performance, so it would be a pity if they dropped out of university.

"It's a pity that they have to work so hard, but it's also an opportunity to experience and learn. I believe that with this dynamism, they will grow up in the new environment," she said, adding that she had never met two students as special as this.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, homeroom teacher of class 12A7 of valedictorian Le Minh Hieu, was also impressed when she saw her student balancing his study time and part-time job during his three years of high school. Despite his poor life, Hieu was always proactive and used to working for hire to earn money to pay for his tuition.

"Hieu has had a very difficult life. Since he was young, he has been the breadwinner of a family of four children. However, he never complained about his situation but always tried to overcome it and made an effort," Ms. Lan shared.

Nhung (right cover) and Vy when entering the factory to work on the morning of August 5. Photo: Character provided

According to statistics, about 10-15% of new students need to borrow capital through the Social Policy Bank. Currently, the maximum loan amount is 4 million VND per month. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, this amount meets 42% of the maximum study costs (tuition and living expenses) of students. However, only students from poor and near-poor households (income below 1.5-2 million VND per month) are eligible for loans. Therefore, many candidates before and after entering university find ways to work part-time to cover their expenses.

Dr. Nguyen Dieu Linh, Deputy Head of the Accounting - Finance Department, Banking Academy, supports this. According to her, all schools teach by credits, so students can completely arrange their studies to find a job and earn extra money to cover expenses. In addition, many schools also have support programs for poor students such as tuition reduction.

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Vice President of Hanoi University, said that it is encouraging that admitted students proactively seek suitable part-time jobs to earn money to prepare for university. This shows that they are proactive and strive to overcome difficulties to pursue their study dreams.

"If you maintain this spirit and proactive, positive attitude during your university years and after graduation, I believe you will achieve success. I also hope that your self-reliance will spread far and wide," said Mr. Dung.

Dawn

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