" I GO TO SCHOOL FROM MONDAY TO SUNDAY"

"It's been a long time since I had a chance to eat dinner with my family because every night I have to go to extra classes or review my lessons. My meals are always rushed, I eat whatever is available to finish the meal and then continue studying." That is the confession of a female student DCT, grade 12, Tran Van Giau High School, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, to Thanh Nien reporter.

Or like MT, a second grader in District 1, said: "I go to school from Monday to Sunday. I go to extra classes every night, and I go to English classes on Saturdays and Sundays. I want to have dinner at home, but my family rarely eats together." This student said that her breakfast is food bought from convenience stores, her lunch is at school, and in the afternoon, her mother will buy her sticky rice and bread to eat before taking her to extra classes.

Ms. TT (MT's parent) said that due to work requirements, she had to take her child to afternoon extra classes until 7 p.m. so that "someone would look after the child and I could also complete my work during the day"; and on weekends, she had to go to English classes to make up for the classes she missed earlier. Normally, during the week, Ms. T's family is home by 7:45 p.m., and each of them has dinner before that.

At 6pm on a weekday, on a bench in front of an English center on Pham Hung Street, District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, we saw a primary school student having a snack before class. Many other students, still wearing their junior high and high school uniforms, had just gotten off their parents’ motorbikes, munching on bread.

Currently in 12th grade, PT, a high school student in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, studies extra classes every evening. On Saturdays and Sundays, he participates in extracurricular clubs and attends extra classes, so PT is even busier. Many weekends, he participates in 3 classes, from morning to night. "When I get home, the whole family has already eaten, I eat later, take a shower, rest a bit, and then continue doing homework," PT said. The male student said he is still luckier than many of his friends because his mother still has time to prepare breakfast for the whole family. Taking advantage of a few minutes in the morning, the whole family can still eat together and chat a few sentences before everyone rushes and rushes for a full day.

MOTHERS ARE BUSY MAKING A LIVE, CHILDREN IN A SPIRAL OF STUDYING

Mr. Do Dinh Dao, Principal of Nguyen Huu Tho High School, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City, said that in many conversations with students and parents, he felt very sad when he heard a student confide that he really wanted a meal with both his father and mother every night. "Some students told me that their parents were busy making a living, worrying about food and clothing for the whole family, and only came home late at night. They bought food online, finished eating, studied, and went to bed. When their parents came home, they were often fast asleep. When their parents came home late, they were exhausted, so the whole family didn't cook anything anymore, they mostly ordered food to be delivered. Meals cooked at home, with the whole family sitting together to eat, are extremely rare," said Mr. Dao.

The principal also said that many families rarely have a full meal together because of their children's extra classes. Many children attend boarding school in the morning and afternoon, and after school at 5pm, they quickly buy a loaf of bread or a box of sticky rice outside the school gate, eat while carrying their bags to class for extra classes from 1 to 7pm. Some children attend 2 classes in one evening, and when they get home it is sometimes 9-10pm.

"I asked many students if they had any regrets. Some said they wanted to study less, and wanted to be able to leisurely eat dinner with their family in the evening without worrying about homework. But it's very difficult now, they are always afraid that if their academic results are not as expected, their parents will be sad," Mr. Dao confided.

Mr. Le Van Nam, a chemistry teacher at Tran Van Giau High School, believes that there is a worrying situation. A number of students share that they always feel overloaded. Many feel like they are living in a constant cycle of studying, homework, and exams. They do not dare to skip a class to sit down and have a delicious meal with their family. To keep up with the school schedule, many students accept to eat temporarily, eat "just in case", eat to finish before going to class.

"For students, studying is very important, but maintaining a balance between studying and relaxing is equally important. Students must have time to rest to recharge, take care of their mental health and build relationships with family and friends. Only when they have reasonable rest can students study effectively, maintain creativity and improve their overall health. Overloading their studies, forgetting to eat and sleep, and lacking connection with family and friends does not help create a healthy and happy learning environment," said Mr. Le Van Nam. (continued)