Prices of textbooks, stationery skyrocket

Parents say sellers charge at whims

RAWALPINDI:

With the depreciation of the rupee, prices of textbooks and all stationery items including copies, registers, uniforms and school bags have skyrocketed in the open market ahead of the new academic session.

Shopkeepers in the wholesale market of Urdu Bazaar said that the prices of all types of textbooks have increased from Rs500 to Rs1700, while the price of register copies and rough copies has also increased by 100 per cent.

The cost of science practical copies of matric has been increased from Rs2,500 to Rs3,000.

With the new academic year around the corner, the purchase of books, copies, and stationery in wholesale has picked up the pace.

According to booksellers, the price of a small normal copy has reached Rs150, a medium copy has reached Rs230, and the price of a good quality copy has reached Rs300.

According to the shopkeepers, a normal register is being sold for Rs170, and a good quality register for Rs350. The prices of all textbooks for kindergarten and up to class-V have been jacked up from Rs1,300 to Rs2,000, while textbooks for middle classes were available between Rs1,000 and Rs4,000, and secondary class textbooks for Rs4,500.

A normal copy for drawing costs Rs180, while a good quality copy costs Rs250. Similarly, a normal quality geometry box costs Rs150 to Rs200, a good quality geometry box costs Rs350, a normal quality drawing coloured pencil box costs Rs200, a medium quality box costs Rs250 and a good quality box costs Rs1,000.

A small school bag costs Rs 2,000 while a medium quality bag is being sold between Rs2,700 and Rs3,500, while a good quality school bag is being sold at Rs4,500.

A complete set of female student uniforms is being sold at Rs3,500, while a complete set of male student uniforms is being sold at Rs4,000.

School shoes are available between the range of Rs2500 and Rs5,000.

Transporters have increased pick-and-drop charges due to the increase in the price of petrol and diesel. The pick-and-drop charges have been increased from February 1.

On the other hand, parents said that van drivers have increased the charges from Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 per month.

Haji Saleh Muhammad said that he owns a grocery shop and has three children. He said that earlier the van fare for the three children was Rs6,000, which has now been increased to Rs9,000 per month, which is more than his capacity.

Mohammad Nadeem said that his daughter goes to Islamabad University from Rawalpindi. He said that his daughter’s van fare was Rs3,500 per month which has now been increased to Rs5,500.

Transporter Farrukh Khan said that petrol and diesel prices have been increased by Rs35.

This year, he said petrol and diesel prices were increased eight times but they have increased the fare only once in the whole year. He said that he could not run the business at a loss.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2023.