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Growing up while the economy goes down

30 Mar 2022

  • Youth express their thoughts on being forced to grow up fast and make adult decisions
BY Sumudu Chamara The ongoing economic crisis has left people of various social strata, age groups, and economic backgrounds struggling for the most basic needs, and the effects of the crisis are becoming apparent daily. However, how this crisis affects the next generation, or children, has not been discussed adequately, unless in cases like the postponement of exams or the shortage of milk powder. In an attempt to discuss how children view and experience the economic crisis and its impacts on their families, The Morning spoke to several youths. Quality and availability of food Chanaka*, a 16-year-old boy from Gampaha, said that the most notable impact the current economic crisis has had on his family was a decrease in the diversity of food. He expressed concerns that even though his family used to have a very balanced diet before the sudden rise in inflation several months ago, now his family has been compelled to survive on the most basic food items.  “My father has several health issues, including high blood pressure, and therefore, my family is very concerned about having a healthy, balanced diet. My mother always makes sure that we consume adequate meat, grains, fruits, and vegetables a day. Even though it first started as a response to my father’s health concerns, later, it became a normal practice in my family. However, the situation has changed for the worse, and now my family cannot afford what it could afford without any issue before.  “According to my parents, the monthly cost of food has increased by threefold. I see our diet slowly becoming a very basic one, intended only to fill our bellies. Our daily meal does not have the quality it had before. I understand that it is difficult to buy food now, especially vegetables and fruits. However, I feel like every member in my family, including myself, are still struggling to be satisfied with what we can afford now.  “Especially when it comes to milk powder, it is my younger brother, who is 10 years old that is affected the most, because he is used to consuming milk made out of milk powder everyday. Even though my parents tried to replace milk powder with fresh milk, it did not really work. It is difficult to get milk powder because of the exorbitant prices and the limited supply, and my parents’ inability to obtain milk powder has sometimes caused disputes among my parents and my younger brother.” He also spoke of how the said negative impacts led to good initiatives.  “Due to the unbearable cost of food items, my parents very recently started home gardening. I also participate in those activities, and I am starting to like it. It could be one of the most notable changes that the economic crisis has caused as far as my life is concerned.” Family business and education  Meanwhile, Namal*, a 14-year-old boy from Werahera, described how the economic crisis affected his education. “My parents do not have money to spend like before. Their priorities are limited to making sure that our daily needs such as food are fulfilled, because the family’s income has decreased. My father works as a driver at a hardware store, and he cannot make money like before.  “Due to this situation, my parents had to cut down on my tuition expenses, and as a result, I had to quit two tuition classes. They were actually very important classes, because I am sitting for the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) exam soon, and because schools were closed for a very long time. As a result, I got used to studying online with the phone my father bought me.” He also revealed that in addition to the said hardships, he now has to spend more time to support his family’s business.  “Due to this situation, my mother started a home-based business, selling facemasks and hand sanitisers. Every morning, she sets up a small table and a chair in front of our house, and sells these goods to those passing by our house. She does this because my father’s income is not sufficient anymore to cover even the most basic expenses of our household.  “As the only child, I have to give her a hand, and sometimes, I spend around six hours either helping her or selling those goods by myself while letting her take a break. Due to this responsibility, which I myself assumed with no pressure from my parents, the time I have to study is extremely limited. Had it been when I could still afford to pay for tuition classes, I would have been okay with this.  “But, now, in addition to what is taught at school, I have to do some self-studying online, which takes a lot of time. Most of the time, I study between 9.30 p.m. and 2 a.m. I do not have time in the morning as I have to either attend school or help my mother to set up the table in the morning because we start selling facemasks and hand sanitisers at around 6 a.m.  “Once, due to the amount of time I spent near the road, someone had informed the Police that a child was being forced to work. When a police officer came and inquired about it, I had to explain everything from the beginning, and tell them that what I was doing was voluntary. Even though I do not get a salary, sometimes, when the sales are high, I get small payments, which help cover my miscellaneous expenses.” Changing abilities Aruni*, a 15-year-old girl, meanwhile, also raised concerns about how inflation has affected her family’s economy and her school education.  “I attend a private school located in Colombo. However, soon, I will have to leave this school and enrol in a public school, because my parents do not have the money to pay this private school’s fees.”  She explained the circumstances that led to this, noting: “My father was selling vehicles before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Once vehicle imports were banned, he started selling second-hand vehicles. That business was enough to cover all the expenses.  “However, my father now says that people are not buying vehicles as before, owing to the current economic issues, and that he will soon have to find another way to make a living. I think that it will be difficult for us to pay school fees in a few months’ time, as we sort of struggled to pay the fees during the past few months. The solution is entering a public school.”  According to her, the most challenging part of the situation is moving to a public school.  “If I enrolled in a public school, which is highly likely according to the discussions I have had with my parents, it will be extremely challenging. First of all, moving to a new school with a different culture is going to be challenging, especially because I was never ready for such a change and my family never anticipated that we would have to do such a thing. I am basically going from one school culture to another. Language could be another huge issue.  “So far, I have studied in English, and I am not as proficient in Sinhala as others my age who study in Sinhala. Unless I get an opportunity to enrol in a public school that offers lessons in English, this change is going to do more harm to me than good. In addition, if I had to write exams in Sinhala before I develop my Sinhala language skills, that will affect my entire future.” She also noted that despite the said challenges, she will have to enrol in a public school and that even though it may not be the best option, for the time being, it will at least help her family save a substantial amount of money. Job before studies Meanwhile, speaking with The Morning, Janaka*, a 13-year-old boy, revealed that his parents had to take the money they had saved in his bank account in order to manage the daily expenses.  “They told me that they have to take it and that they will return it later. But I’m not sure whether they would return that money, because the home situation does not seem very promising. My parents are in debt, my father does not have a permanent job, and my mother gave up her job a long time ago. In this situation, my mother and I might have to do a job soon.” When queried about his intention to do a job at such a young age, he added: “It will take at least five years for me to leave school and find a job. By that time, anything could happen. If I start making and saving money from now on, it will be much easier to support my family and myself.” While these are merely a fraction of the experiences of the population of children and teenagers, these represent real life issues. The impacts of the crisis are more serious than what the media shows, and are likely to affect the children’s education and mental health in the long run. *Names have been changed on request


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