Parents hit hard by back-to-school expenses

Families feel financial strain as new academic session kicks off amid rising inflation

RAWALPINDI:

The new academic session 2024-25 in all government schools has officially commenced from April 15th. This session will conclude on March 31, 2025.

Despite the beginning of the new academic year, 50% of students from first grade to ninth grade in government schools have been deprived of the facility of free textbooks. Moreover, this year, the target for enrolment in government schools has also not been achieved.

The education department has instructed all school heads to complete the first phase of enrolment by May 31. However, due to the high cost of textbooks, copies, registers and stationery, parents are facing difficulties.

For the past one week, there has been immense rush of parents and students at bookstores to purchase textbooks and stationery for the upcoming academic year. Due to the non-delivery of multiple textbooks by the Punjab Textbook Board, students have been deprived of new books so far.

As soon as the new academic year started, all pick-and-drop transporters have also increased the pick-and-drop fees per student from Rs500 to Rs2,000. There has been an immense increase in the prices of school uniforms and shoes in the open market as well.

After the significant expenses of Ramazan, followed by Eidul Fitr, the monthly budget of families has been badly affected due to new admission fees, purchase of textbooks, copies and uniforms.

In the open market, uniform for female students is being sold for Rs4,500 to Rs6,000 and the school uniform for male students is being sold from Rs4,000 to Rs5,000. Last year, the prices were within the range of Rs3,000 to Rs3,300 The price of school shoes has been increased from Rs3,500 to Rs7,000.

The price of textbooks for lower grades ranges from Rs500 to Rs2,000, while the prices for middle and high school textbooks have reached from Rs800 to Rs2,600. A normal school copy costs Rs200, while a good one costs Rs350, a good register costs Rs400, a practical copy costs Rs1,300, a box of colour pencils costs Rs200, and a packet of colour markers costs Rs400.

In all private schools, the new admission fee has been increased from Rs500 to Rs5,000. This year, government schools have been given a disappointing target of only four per cent new admissions, while for the past 40 years, the standard had been 10 to 12 per cent new admissions.

This year, the target for new admissions has been reduced by 6 to 8 per cent. Additionally, this term, the government has made a new free textbooks policy, under which they are providing old textbooks to students, however, this policy has already proved unsuccessful in its first phase.

Most of the books taken back from passing students were broken and torn, while a large number of books had also been lost by the young students. The new textbooks which had been printed already and last year's store textbooks of in warehouses have been begun to be distributed among students.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2024.