Helping to go to school: Mother admits she has been uneducated all her life, daughter's exam score ranks 26th in Quang Tri province

Nguyen Cao Ngoc Ha helps her mother deliver porridge at her workplace - Photo: HOANG TAO

Knowing that Tuoi Tre newspaper had a scholarship to support new students, Nguyen Cao Ngoc Ha's homeroom teacher immediately texted her and her mother to call to continue her dream.

Support to School 2024: Uneducated mother calls to ask for scholarship for her child - Performed by: HOANG TAO - NHA CHAN - MAI HUYEN - TON VU

I am uneducated so I want my child to have a different path.

Every morning at 4:30, Ms. Cao Thi Sen (42 years old, residing in Tien My 2 village, Vinh Lam commune, Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri ) wakes up, quickly cooks breakfast for the whole family, then rides her motorbike to work for a nutritious porridge shop more than 10km from her house in Ho Xa town (Vinh Linh district).

The shop serves preschool children, so it has to be cooked early so that the children can eat when they go to school. As soon as the porridge is cooked, Ms. Sen quickly delivers it to regular customers. She works hard until 7pm before finishing work and going home.

Her family had 6 acres of rice fields but they did not produce enough to eat, so Ms. Sen rented the fields to others and then worked for hire everywhere, finding every way to support her 2 daughters and old mother.

"Working like this day after day, rain or shine, sometimes makes me feel like a robot. Every night I close my eyes, I just hope to wake up healthy in the morning.

The work is not hard but takes a lot of time. The salary is 150,000 VND per day, but if you take a day off, 200,000 VND will be deducted," said Ms. Sen.

That amount of money was not enough to feed four people, so Ms. Sen added a net to the garden to raise chickens and planted more cassava. The eggs she collected were hatched into chicks using an electric incubator in a small styrofoam box. She sold all the chickens, big and small, to anyone in the village who needed them.

She said that because of poverty, she was uneducated, worked as a factory worker in Ho Chi Minh City, then returned to her hometown to run a market, worked as a factory worker until recently she switched to working at a porridge shop, but it was not enough to make a living.

"I was uneducated before, so now I'm determined to send my child to school, even if I have to borrow money," said Ms. Sen.

"Luckily, there are rice grains, eggs, and vegetables in the garden so I don't have to buy them, but going to university requires a lot of money. Every month, I plan to pack a styrofoam box to send rice, fish sauce, and salt to my child. That's all I have to eat, but I don't have money for school yet," Ms. Sen recalled her eldest daughter's dream, even though she looked at the shabby old house without anything valuable.

"At first, I let him stay at a relative's house. If things are difficult, I will gradually overcome them. We have food and accommodation, but we don't have tuition yet, so we have to borrow money, and the fastest way is to borrow money from the bank," said Ms. Sen.

Graduation score ranked 26th in Quang Tri province

With a quick, active walk, a strong and determined face, Ngoc Ha said her biggest motivation is her circumstances.

"I push myself to be enthusiastic and energetic to make a good impression on teachers, be interested in studying, and always maintain being an excellent student. I work harder, try harder, and often participate in school competitions to win prizes to help my mother," Ha said.

In the recent national high school graduation exam, Ha ranked 26th in Quang Tri province based on the total score of 6 subjects, and the university entrance exam combination Ha achieved 27.25 points.

Luggage with 3.3 million dong extra work

Right after her graduation exam, Ha found a coffee shop in town to work part-time. Each shift, Ha was paid 72,000 VND.

"My house is far away, so gas money is a big problem for me. Sometimes when I come home late, I have to wait for my mother to pick me up to go through the deserted road in the middle of the field," Ha said. Ha's luggage for university is 3.3 million VND from working for hire in the past.

"Although I have aspirations and dreams of continuing to pursue university, paying for a freshman to enter university and a younger sister who is currently in her final year of secondary school is too much for my mother. My mother's health is not very good because she has some stomach and liver diseases... and needs regular treatment. My grandmother is old and has lost her ability to work and is completely dependent on me," Ha said.

Ha said that at first she will find a coffee shop to work part-time, then she will find a tutoring job that suits her language talent in the hope of easing some of the burden on her mother.

Passing the English language major at Danang University of Foreign Languages, determined to finish university with a good or excellent degree, combined with studying additional languages, Ha hopes to find a job at a multinational trading company.

"I hope to be able to help my mother and family in the future," Ha said.

Ha takes care of the newly hatched chicks to earn extra income for her mother - Photo: HOANG TAO

Teacher Dang Huu Vu, head teacher for 3 years at Ben Hai Secondary and High School (Vinh Lam commune), commented that Ha has good learning ability, management and leadership skills, and gets along well with friends.

"Because my family doesn't have the conditions to take extra classes, I have a very good sense of self-study, am responsible in class, and complete all assigned tasks with care.

Knowing his situation, the school created all material conditions, encouraged him mentally, and reduced income sources to help him improve. Now that he has graduated, the teachers hope that society will help, but the school can only do a small part," said Mr. Vu.

Ha is also saving up to buy herself a laptop. In college, many courses and assignments must be done on the computer. Ha's 5-year-old phone is too old to complete complex assignments.

Invite you to join the School Support Program

Tuoi Tre Newspaper's 2024 School Support Program launched on August 8, expected to award 1,100 scholarships with a total cost of more than 20 billion VND (15 million VND for new students with difficulties, 20 special scholarships worth 50 million VND/scholarship throughout 4 years of study and learning equipment, gifts...).

With the motto "No young person can go to school because of poverty", "New students encounter difficulties, there is Tuoi Tre " - as a commitment to support new students in the past 20 years of Tuoi Tre .

Please scan this QR code to register and introduce new students in need of support to school. The program will accept information until September 20, 2024.

New students can register online to apply for the 2024 School Transfer Scholarship at: http://surl.li/fkfhms or scan the QR code.

The program received contributions and support from the "Accompanying Farmers" Fund - Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, Vinacam Education Promotion Fund - Vinacam Group Joint Stock Company and the clubs "Nghia Tinh Quang Tri", "Nghia Tinh Phu Yen"; the clubs "Supporting Children to School" Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam - Da Nang, Tien Giang - Ben Tre , Quang Ngai and the Tien Giang - Ben Tre Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City, the German - Vietnamese Mutual Aid and Cooperation Association (VSW), Nam Long Company, Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd. ... along with businesses, philanthropists and a large number of readers of Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Businesses and readers who want to support scholarships for new students, please transfer to Tuoi Tre newspaper account:

113000006100 VietinBank, Branch 3, Ho Chi Minh City.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

Readers and businesses abroad can transfer money to Tuoi Tre newspaper:

USD account 007.137.0195.845 Ho Chi Minh City Foreign Trade Bank;

EUR account 007.114.0373.054 Foreign Trade Bank, Ho Chi Minh City

with Swift code BFTVVNVX007.

Content: Support "Support to school" for new students or specify the province/city that you want to support.

In addition to sponsoring scholarships, readers can support learning equipment, accommodation, jobs... for new students.

Graphics: TUAN ANH

Video tutorial on how to register for new students in need, as well as how to contribute to the program

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tiep-suc-den-truong-me-nhan-minh-ca-doi-that-hoc-con-gai-diem-thi-hang-26-toan-tinh-quang-tri-20240813171207791.htm