Recognizing that starting Grade 1 is the first major academic transition, the family of Trịnh Thị Ngọc in Thanh An commune has expressed concern. With few pre-primary or basic literacy classes available in her locality, most of the preparation, teaching her child how to write and recognize numbers, falls on the family. Ngọc shared: “My child is 6 and a half years old, getting ready for Grade 1. I want him to write well, and I’d like to enroll him in group classes or handwriting courses, but the centers are over 10km away, which is far and inconvenient. I’m afraid he won’t keep up with his peers when the school year begins, which has made us think long and hard about our options.”

Ngọc’s concerns are echoed by many parents living in remote areas. The challenges they face go beyond distance, they also bear significant financial burdens for extra classes, transportation, books, and school supplies, making the path to education more difficult for their children.

In another case, Nguyễn Thị V. from Quài Tở commune is grappling with the decision of choosing the right school for her son. While the local primary school has enough classrooms, its teaching quality doesn’t compare to schools located in the commune center. She hopes her child can attend a school with better facilities and more experienced teachers. However, geographic enrollment zoning policies mean her child isn’t eligible to enroll in a center-based school. She’s considered registering temporary residence or changing household registration, but the procedures are complex and no clear solution has emerged.

“We, like many parents, want our children to have access to better learning environments, especially in their first year of school,” she said. “But to send our child to the center, we have to consider changing household registration, paperwork, and the issue of class size imbalances. It’s all very complicated, and we have to calculate everything carefully before the school year starts.”

These worries aren’t limited to rural or mountainous areas. Even in central communes or wards, parents have their own concerns. Nguyễn Thu Hà from Điện Biên Phủ ward shared that her energetic son, who is preparing to start Grade 1, prefers physical activities and shows little interest in writing or schoolwork. “He loved active play in preschool and didn’t focus much on reading or writing. I’m worried that with the fixed schedule and demands of primary school, writing, doing homework, sitting still for long hours, he might feel overwhelmed, lose interest in learning, or fall behind,” she shared.

Despite their varied circumstances, all parents share a common concern about how well their children will adapt and succeed in the transition from preschool to primary school. They want their kids to have a solid foundation for the learning journey ahead, but face barriers such as geography, economic constraints, education policies, and their children’s psychological readiness.

While some parents like Trường choose to teach their children at home, others strive to find extra classes or pre-Grade 1 prep courses, even if doing so strains their finances. In reality, although some handwriting centers offer one-month preparation courses before the official start of school, such programs are scarce in remote areas. Many parents either lack access to information or cannot afford to enroll their children. Online learning or educational software is also not yet widely adopted, and is difficult to implement in areas with poor network coverage or limited digital literacy among parents.

Some schools have proactively partnered with preschool teachers to organize sessions guiding parents on how to mentally prepare their children for Grade 1, but these efforts remain small in scale and have not been broadly expanded. Many parents hope authorities will offer more flexible enrollment policies that allow students to attend schools of their choice, particularly those with stronger teaching quality. In parallel, investments in facilities and teaching staff at rural schools are essential to ensure equity in education.

The journey into Grade 1 is not only a challenge for children, it is a deep concern for many parents. Their wish for a smooth start and quality learning environment is entirely valid. To make that possible, a coordinated effort is needed from families, schools, and local authorities, ensuring that every child has access to a fair and humane education system.