As schools prepare to resume for the 2019/2020 academic session, many parents have expressed concern at the high cost of school items.
Some parents, who spoke with BusinessDay, said it was time to start thinking of how to pay school fees, do school errand, meet the demands of their wards, new and old students, especially those in boarding houses.
Stella Amodu, a civil servant, said school fees remained the same from the previous session, but prices of textbooks, writing materials, school bags and shoes had gone up.
“We learnt that Nigeria is out of recession but it is yet to reflect on the cost of living because things are still expensive. I am tempted to believe that the traders are taking undue advantage of the economic situation to exploit consumers,’’ she said.
Another parent, Adekoya Lawrence, a businessman, said the cost of textbooks and stationery was quite high, saying, “We parents and guardians have already set aside funds for the preparation of their children and wards for this new academic session. However, the market prices are beyond our expectations.”
Lawrence narrated that August and early September season was also fearful months because some father had three or four children or (more) to cater for, “this season requires a lot of planning and discipline because most schools don’t even allow for part of instalment payments.”
Ukpong Casper, the principal of Royal Christian College Essien Udim AKS, said schools were making preparations for new laboratory equipment, library books, and putting in school facilities in order to equip students with the skills and academic success required to access new opportunities and enhance their life chances.
“We tend to keep our classes and tutorial groups relatively small to create an atmosphere where you can feel relaxed and comfortable, which allows learners to really get to know their teachers,” Casper said.
The principal also said schools were also looking forward to replacing some teachers not performing well in their duties.
Traders in school items such as textbooks, school bags and stationery, however, ruled out any form of profiteering, saying that the profit margin on books was quite minimal.
Ruth Uwandu of Favour Bookshop, Oshodi, said: “We are into the business to keep body and soul together, not that there is much gain in it.
“The publishers are complaining of the high cost of materials and papers, so they have reduced the quantity they usually publish. Some are not even publishing at all again, as such, some of the books requested for are not available. I have a list of books that parents have been coming to ask for and I have called the publishers several times to find out if the books would be available but no response yet, “Uwandu said.
Joy Essay, who deals in lunch bag, said very few parents were buying as most were coming to repair old ones, saying the situation had left the traders at crossroads because a lot of bags were made with the hope that they would be sold.
“The few who bought the bags are even complaining that the quality is poor, which was not intentional,’’ she said.
PEACE DANIEL
