Going to college from an orphanage: the cost barrier

There are many applicants who have no choice but to choose

"university to go to" rather than "first choice" .

The barrier is not the academic ability, but the cost of taking the exam.

But don't give up on your dreams.

The support of seniors is also starting little by little.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter Suzuryoko)

“I didn’t think about going on to higher education”

I'm Yuko (pseudonym), a first-year student at a private university in Kyoto Prefecture.

I aspire to be a middle school teacher.

Yuko was sent to an orphanage as soon as she was born, and was raised in an orphanage in Osaka from the age of 2 until she graduated from high school.

Until around middle school, she says, she never thought about going to college.

Yuko: “

I

spent more than 10 years at the facility. During that time, I only saw one or two people who went on to university from the facility I was at.

It wasn't until the third year of junior high school that he changed his mind.

She had an encounter with a respected faculty member.

In order to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher like her, she

decided to move from an orphanage to a university.

I also wanted to do club activities

And then high school life began.

Along with my studies, I worked hard at a part-time job.

You can stay at the facility until you are 18 years old.

This is to save money for the rest of my life and to cover the costs of going on to higher education.

Convenience stores, restaurants, gas stations...

I always had two part-time jobs.

It is said that he gave up on club activities that he really wanted to join.

Yuko belonged to the volleyball club in junior high school.

My high school was a strong school that I admired, but it was difficult to balance it with a part-time job.

Yuko:

When I saw people in the volleyball club, I felt strongly that I wanted to join.

Before entering university, the wall

Even if I work every day, my anxiety will not end.

What stood in the way was the cost of taking the exam.

I decided to use the scholarship for tuition and other expenses after entering university.

However, there are also significant costs associated with pre-enrolment.

We cut it down to keep it as cheap as possible.

I asked my seniors to give me reference books and workbooks.

I also used the free "past questions" posted on the university's website.

Every day I work part-time and study for exams in between.

I would say it was full.

Ms. Yuko:

"Sometimes I got sick because of the stress of studying for entrance exams and having to earn money.

" I'm here.

23,300 yen for public high schools and 34,540 yen for private high schools.

Compared to the pocket money of a typical high school student, you may feel that it is a lot.

But from here you have to pay the daily expenses necessary for school life.

It is not easy to go to university with only public support.

I gave up on my first choice

Yuko has continued her studies with the aim of entering her first-choice university.

However, I never got into the school I wanted to go to.

In the summer of my senior year in high school, I changed my plans and decided to take a recommendation entrance exam for another university.

It is said that the recommendation entrance examination was more likely to pass than the general entrance examination.

I thought that I would be able to spend more time working part-time to earn money after going on to higher education by being accepted early.

It is said that it was unthinkable to take multiple university entrance examinations, including slipping.

Yuko:

“There were other universities that I wanted to study here, but I needed a lot of money to start my new life, besides the university entrance fee and tuition. I chose the recommendation entrance exam to secure

help found

The university entrance exam that I decided to face at the minimum cost.

However, I still don't have the money to do so.

At that time, I learned about the initiative to support students who are taking entrance exams for children's homes.

Osaka's NPO "Yumesapo" is working on this initiative.

We are working to provide 70,000 yen, which is about the equivalent of two private university examination fees, to examinees living in children's homes in Osaka Prefecture.

With this 70,000 yen, Yuko covered the entrance examination fee of 35,000 yen for the recommendation entrance examination.

Excellent, passed.

I was able to purchase the necessary textbooks for admission.

In addition, I bought volleyball shoes and practice clothes with the remaining money.

In college, I decided to join the volleyball club again.

Yuko:

When I was thinking about how to use the money, I was a little worried about whether I would have enough money, so I thought it was a great idea. I had to spend money for other purposes than I wanted to earn, so it was not easy to save money. For Yuko

,

this 70,000 yen was a big support to push her one step towards her dream.

do not give up your dream

Applicants typically apply to more than one university.

It also costs transportation.

According to a survey by the Japan Finance Corporation, the cost of taking the exam is around 300,000 yen per person.

However, according to the NPO "Yumesapo", in order to keep down the entrance fee, high school students in children's homes often choose universities with recommendation entrance exams, or only one school that they are sure to pass. .

Ms. Reika Tanaka, the representative of the corporation, entered a junior college from an orphanage herself.

She calls on the high school students at the facility to "never give up on your dreams."

Representative of NPO Yumesapo Tanaka Reika

“I would be really happy if I could use the money to go to a school where I can become who I want to be in the future. I want to support them as an adult."

The corporation's funds are covered by donations, etc., and in the future, I would like to consider increasing the amount paid per person and expanding support to other prefectures other than Osaka. I'm here.

Universities have also started to support some of them.

Waseda University and Aoyama Gakuin University have programs that exempt high school students from taking examination fees.

“I want to create a new road”

Yuko says that although it was not her first choice, she is living a fulfilling life at the university she entered.

He also joined the long-awaited volleyball club.

In addition to the scholarship, I am working hard at three part-time jobs to study to become a teacher.

“At the facility, I have seen many children who have given up on going on to higher education. I want more people to know that I am going to university.

Encouraging the desire to learn

While more than 50% of all high school students go on to college, only 17.8% of high school students at facilities go on to higher education.

(Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, 2020)

It's not that I have a low motivation to learn.

According to a 2017 survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on children in institutions, more than 30% of first-year high school students wanted to go on to university.

So that you can support your child's desire to learn.

I felt I needed more help.