Her two children have just started school for a week, Trinh Ngoc My (39 years old, Thanh Tri, Hanoi) estimated that the amount of money she had to contribute at the beginning of the year was more than 10 million VND. Of which, the cost of uniforms accounted for a considerable amount and this amount was announced before the children started the new school year.
Uniform money "eats" half a month's salary
" At the parent-teacher meeting, I only saw the teacher list the contributions, without discussing the children's education," she said, adding that she had just spent more than 3 million VND on uniforms for her children in grade 6 and grade 1.
Many parents feel "burdened" with the cost of uniforms for their children. (Illustration photo)
Ms. My listed that for her 6th grader, the uniform includes: 2 sets of white pants and shirts for about 600,000 VND, 2-piece summer uniform for 420,000 VND, winter jacket for 210,000 VND/shirt. Not to mention the sports uniform for 250,000 VND/set. Thus, she has to spend more than 1.6 million VND on uniforms for her older child.
As for the first grade son, he buys a uniform according to the season, at least 2 sets per season, costing 210,000 VND/set, and in winter only a coat. My's monthly income is only 6 million VND, so the uniform cost of more than 3 million VND, "eats" half of her mother's salary.
She said the money she paid for the uniform was "not cheap", but when she received the clothes for her child, she had to take them to a tailor to get them to fit. Not only were the sizes of the clothes not suitable, but the quality of the uniform fabric was also not commensurate with the price she paid.
"School uniforms are not the same. If the price is high, the fabric is bad, or the seams are sloppy, parents will have to turn a blind eye and buy them for their children," she said.
Returning home from the parent-teacher conference last weekend - September 10, Ms. Nguyen Minh Nguyet (43 years old, Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi) sat absentmindedly looking at the photos of her child's year-end payments. "After paying the year-end payment, my salary will be gone," she said.
For the past two months, she has had to cut corners to save money for her daughter's first-year tuition for third grade. She and her husband are both freelancers, so the uniform fee of more than 1 million VND is a lot.
"The uniform costs 250,000 VND/set depending on the season. In addition, the design is quite sophisticated and unique, so I couldn't find it at the market, so I had to register to buy it at school even though I knew the price was high, " the parent said, affirming that a custom-designed uniform like this would be a waste. Students don't wear it all the time, so many of them are still very new and can't be given to anyone because they are different designs.
"For families with many children going to school or parents who are self-employed and have unstable incomes like mine, that is really a large amount of money," she lamented.
In addition to the uniform fee, Ms. Nguyet also has to prepare for the expenses before her child goes to school, such as textbooks, school supplies, voluntary contributions, and socialized education. Ms. Nguyet even has to borrow money from friends to pay for her child's education.
Uniforms should not be too elaborate
Master Nguyen Diep Ha, School Psychology Consultant, Hoan Kiem Secondary School, believes that school uniforms help students be equal and contribute to building the school's image. However, schools should regulate uniforms towards thrift, not too fussy.
"Schools should be consistent, not change the uniform style and force students to buy new styles because that will create a burden for parents, especially families who do not have the means," said Ms. Ha. In fact, some schools "draw" new designs that are unnecessary. For example, next year's uniforms will add a small detail such as lines, colors or even different types of skirts, pants, and shirts.
"Uniforms have many unnecessary items, especially for public school students. Parents send their children to public schools with the hope of reducing financial burden, schools should adjust uniforms to suit students' conditions," she explained.
The school can encourage students from previous years to donate their uniforms to students from the next years. After graduating, students often do not reuse their uniforms as everyday clothes, and throwing them away would be a waste. Ms. Ha also suggested that, depending on the actual conditions, students can be exempted from wearing uniforms on some days of the week or month.
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