By Majd Othman
KUWAIT: With the arrival of the 2023 school year, bookstores are bustling with buyers seeking to fulfill their children's school supply needs. However, this year, prices have become a point of contention among parents due to significant increases that are straining their financial budgets. This issue affects both public and private school students, with parents expressing their grievances to Kuwait Times. They note that the cost of school supplies has surged by nearly 30 percent, exacerbating the financial strain already felt by families as students return to school following the pandemic.
Mona Ahmad, a parent of two children attending a private Arabic school, revealed she had to allocate an additional 20 percent of her budget to cover her children's school stationery and uniforms. She attributed this increase to the specific requirements imposed by the school, such as particular types of notebooks and pens. Mona also voiced her belief that bookstores are capitalizing on these mandatory school supplies by raising their prices significantly.
Abeer Mallah, a mother of three children attending a foreign private school, highlighted the challenges parents face due to school policies that effectively mandate the purchase of most school supplies directly from the school, often at higher prices. She acknowledged that parents are aware of Kuwaiti laws prohibiting educational institutions from compelling parents to buy school requirements from them.
However, Abeer expressed concerns that refusing to comply might lead to unfavorable treatment of their children or a loss of support when needed. Furthermore, Mallah noted that the frequent changes in school uniform designs add to the financial burden, as parents are required to purchase new uniforms each year, rendering the old ones unusable even for siblings. Ali Mohammad, a parent of two children attending a private Arabic school, expressed his dismay at the shift in the primary focus of schools.
"They seem to have forgotten their main goal, which is to educate students. Instead, they have engaged in a commercial race to maximize profits over the past few years," he said. Kuwait Times asked parents about potential solutions to combat the rising costs of school supplies. Many mentioned resorting to online shops for non-essential school items as a partial remedy, as they feel compelled to purchase basic school necessities from schools or local stores that take advantage of the back-to-school season.
Omar Baker, a Kuwaiti parent, emphasized the need for a special pricing arrangement for essential school supplies from public schools, especially given the financial strain parents face throughout the year, including expenses for study materials, which can be particularly costly for high school students. He called for comprehensive solutions to alleviate the overall financial burden on parents, who are grappling with the rising cost of living in recent years.