• A family with five school-going children spends close to Rs. 100,000
• Shortage of stationery and school supplies
• School kit shortage could impact children’s mindset

As students prepare to return to classrooms for the new term, parents are grappling with the increased prices of school supplies and transportation.

From stationery items, shoes, and uniforms, to school bags and even water bottles, the price tags on back-to-school essentials have soared this year due to inflation, in a context where families are adjusting their household budgets to absorb higher prices of all goods and services. 

Last month The Sunday Morning reported on the price increase that is affecting school transportation services. 

Due to galloping inflation, many are paying more than what they used to pay just months ago for school supplies. 

Rising expenses hit strained budgets

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Hansi – a parent of two school-going children – noted that the skyrocketing expenses of almost all school supplies had added a further burden on an already-strained household budget, with prices having risen to unimaginable highs. 

“Earlier, not even two months ago, I used to buy a glue bottle for Rs. 100, but when I went to buy one recently, it had become Rs. 300. A box of 12 colour pencils that used to be Rs. 270 is now Rs. 580. A single ruled 80-page book that used to be Rs. 80 is about Rs. 160 now and CR books are now Rs. 270 when they used to cost around Rs. 100. Even a colour printout which used to be Rs. 25 per page costs about Rs. 80-85.” 

She also noted that workbooks required by the school curriculum too had increased in price, with one Sinhala language workbook costing around Rs. 500 compared to the old price of Rs. 225. 

She stressed that the prices of school supplies had doubled and even tripled in certain cases, all within a few months, pointing out that school bags of average quality all ranged above Rs. 3,000 and even water bottles that used to cost around Rs. 700 even a few months ago now had to be purchased at Rs. 1,600. 

While some schools typically require students to purchase certain items from the school cooperatives, Hansi shared that the school that one of her daughters attended could no longer offer school bags for sale as it was unable to source the material.

Moreover, items such as woollen school jerseys, which had been Rs. 1,200 in April, now cost Rs. 2,400, with the material being changed to a lower-quality alternative. 

She also explained that they had limited their school expenses to the essentials: “Children are greatly affected by this, since we can no longer buy everything they ask for. We have to carefully consider our options before buying anything. It is also difficult to buy everything that the schools ask us to, given our other expenses.”  

Balancing education and living expenses

Such experiences are not uncommon, with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds struggling to balance their household living expenses while funding their children’s education.

Athula, whose five grandchildren are schooling in grades 6, 2, and 1, said that his son’s income as a bus driver was not enough to cover the educational costs of the children. To buy school supplies for all five children, it costs the family around Rs. 100,000, he estimated. 

“The children need to be dressed cleanly and neatly when they go to school. One of my grandsons has been going to school crying every day because his shoes are broken. What can we do? This is not something that is happening only to us; this is the situation for most of Sri Lanka’s children.”

Niranjanee, whose family depends on her husband’s income from hired labour, said that a pre-sewn uniform cost at least Rs. 2,000 – almost twice the earlier cost.

A parent whose child was entering school for the first time shared that she intended to purchase items in bulk by buying school supplies from Pettah jointly with another parent. She also noted that at this stage, children soon outgrew wearables such as uniforms and shoes, which were already expensive. 

As per seamstress Imashi, who operates in Wattala, one yard of fabric for a female school uniform now costs Rs. 700, having increased from the previous price of Rs. 350-400. Moreover, sewing costs had also increased to Rs. 500 from Rs. 300. Romark Tailors Owner Asintha Sandaruwan, based in Biyagama, shared that the fabric and sewing charges for a long white trouser now stood at Rs. 2,700, when last year it had cost around Rs. 1,350-1,450. The current cost of a short blue trouser was Rs. 1,650-1,700, while last year’s price had been Rs. 450-700, he noted.

Many of the parents who spoke to The Sunday Morning shared that they would have to cut down on their spending on other purchases in order to be able to afford essential school supplies such as books.

A doctor whose children attended a semi-Government school noted that they were no longer purchasing items such as shoes for each new school year and only spent on new shoes if the children’s current pairs were no longer wearable. “A pair of canvas shoes for sports practices cost around Rs. 3,000; these used to cost less than Rs. 1,000 before.”  

“With the prices of books having doubled or even tripled, rather than buying all the items in the book list, we will have to buy only the essential items from the list. Even though I don’t feel the pinch as strongly given my occupation as a doctor, it is still difficult,” he said, noting that the prices of exercise books had increased drastically and they were no longer able to buy the entire book list needed for the new school year at once, instead opting to purchase the books as they were needed at the moment.

Unprecedented highs

Meanwhile, a bookshop owner whose store offered school supplies confirmed that all stationery items had surged to unprecedented highs.

“In general, all items have increased in price. Prices have increased by about 150-200% in general. For instance, the prices of exercise books have doubled since last year and I have been informed by the manufacturers that the prices will once again increase next week. Moreover, other items have also seen drastic price hikes, with a pencil that used to cost Rs. 10 having increased to Rs. 40,” he said. 

He shared that these circumstances had compelled customers to buy less, affecting business operations. “Typically, people buy 200-page CR books, but given the prices of these books, parents are now buying smaller books,” he said. 

“Parents now inquire about the prices and leave. When they come to the store, they first inquire about the older stock and they purchase from that. When we tell them the prices of the new stock, they say they will come back later to buy these items.”  

Booksellers are no longer able to offer discounts to customers in the present context, he revealed. “Earlier, we used to get a discount of 35-40% from stationery manufacturers, so we sold products at a 20% discount to customers. However, we will not be able to provide items at a discount this year, since the discount we now receive from manufacturers is 25%. There is also a shortage of stocks.”

Education hampered

In such a backdrop, teachers, who work in close proximity with students, are seeing the devastating effects of such price hikes first hand. 

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union Assistant Secretary and teacher Visaka Aberathna said that the increase in school supply prices amidst the rising cost of living had directly impacted the school education of children. 

“School education has been hampered for about three years due to the Covid pandemic and the economic crisis. In a situation where schools are now gradually returning to normal operations, the price increase in school supplies is having a significant impact,” she said.   

Parents in particular are struggling, she noted: “When exercise books finish and shoes break, parents find it difficult to buy these items for their children.” 

Accordingly, when parents are unable to fulfil the educational needs of their children, the result is lowered school attendance, she stressed, adding that not having access to school supplies also affects a child’s dignity. 

“Children can feel humiliated when they have to come to school without the required supplies. Sometimes such children are subjected to mockery by their peers, which affects them mentally. Not being able to give their children what they need also affects parents mentally as they are helpless given their other expenses,” she observed, adding that this constituted a massive social crisis which was paving the way for a collapse of the education system.