Expensive school supplies haunt parents

With back-to-school essentials in demand amid opening of the educational institutions in the federal capital after summer vacation break, majority of the parents are grappling with the exorbitant prices of all school items.

Most of the private schools have started their new academic session after the summer break. Parents have to purchase back-to-school essentials for their kids by physically visiting the stationary stores or ordering through online suppliers.

The price of school supplies from glue, colour pencils, markers, lunch box, water bottles, geometry boxes, school bags, and cut boxes to textbooks, notebooks, and uniforms has registered a significant increase which made it difficult for families, especially salaried class, to manage the educational expenses.

“I have spent around Rs20,000 to purchase only the textbooks for my son studying in Grade II while I still have to buy the stationary items and uniform as per the list provided by the school administration,” said Shaista Adil, a mother of two children.

“Although it has become difficult to bear the expenses of my one school-going son who is studying in private school, we have no option left when the government institutions lack facilities and educational standards,” she lamented.

Another parent, Abid Shah, said: “I was surprised to hear the price of the trolley bag which was Rs12,000 during my visit to the school supplies shop what to talk about the other items.”

He said: “Getting an education in a private school has become a luxury keeping in view the increasing fee structure and a long list of stationary and other items they give. The fee of my son studying in early year class is Rs23,000 besides annual charges of Rs25,000 which is too hard to afford during the prevailing price hike situation.”

Another parent, Farah Hamid, said that instead of making things easier for the parents, the private schools provide a long list of stationery items to the parents for buying which are hardly used during the whole year.

“|Not only do the parents have to buy all the stationary themselves but these schools also grab annual charges for stationery too in the name of artwork, overburdening the parents,” she observed.

She urged the relevant authorities to keep a check on unusual increases in the prices of school items in the markets and take action against the unjust price hike.

Tahir Mehmood, who is associated with the profession of teaching for a long time, said parents already struggling amid rising inflation and facing a cost of living are forced to pay high prices for essential school items for their kids.

He said: “Back-to-school shopping is stressful for them but they have to pay as being parents they consider these items as an essential category in their shopping list.”

He added that parents were making some real sacrifices and leading uncomfortable life in these days due to soaring inflation, high-priced fuel, electricity, and gas.

“Prices of school items like shoes, uniforms, backpacks and lunch boxes, crayons, markers, notebooks, chart papers, binders, papers, pens, erasers, and pencils have increased substantially due to the prevailing inflation,”

When contacted, the owner of a prominent book and stationery shop in F-8, said, “The inflation has not only distressed the parents of the school-going kids but every section of life. Since our country import paper and the price of paper has increased the prices of textbooks and notebooks have registered a 40 to 45 percent stationery increase this year which is very unusual.”

He added that he could not reduce the cost of stationery items on his own as he too was getting them at increased prices. “Ultimately, we are left with no option but to shift this burden on the customers,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2023.