Such words should never be heard by a parent, but that’s precisely what Rung, a Thai single mother of two, was told.
With empty pockets and a broken heart, she broached the subject to her daughter, 9-year-old Am.
"So, when can I go to school?" the child asked innocently. Feeling like a failed parent, Rung could barely open her mouth.
Life has never been easy for Rung. She makes a living picking up other people’s rubbish: a filthy job that she dreads, and which pays very little. Her husband is in jail in Hong Kong, and it is unlikely that he will ever return.
I sat with Rung and discussed why she couldn't afford to send her daughters to school. With a strained voice, she told me, "The school fees for my eldest daughter are 1,400 baht per semester. It's 1,500 baht more for my youngest, and this doesn’t include other expenses like uniforms, books, and travel. I earn only 2,000 baht per month picking up other people’s rubbish, so how can I afford this?"
"The government told us that education is for all, but I cannot see how this is possible with my income. The government hasn’t lifted a finger to help the people of our community. In the end, I had to take out a personal loan, but the interest I had to pay was more than 20% of the whole amount. I couldn't even afford to pay back what I borrowed, let alone the interest," Rung said.
"I miss my teacher and friends; I really want to go back to school," Am told me as she tightly held her favorite doll, which was rescued by her mother from the trash heap. Her favorite subject is science, and she dreams daily of becoming a doctor.
"What do you do when you stay at home?" I asked Am.
"I usually help mum to clean the house, wash the dishes and cook food. Mum says that if she had more money, I could go to school." The small child looked at me with forced bravery. She knows there’s no easy answer to her plight. She’s too small to raise her voice so that the government will hear. But her dreams just will not die.
Story: Apiradee
Photo: Apiradee