Schooling costs reach unbearable degree; VAT addition makes education unaffordable
Parents complain that the cost of educating children has never been as unbearable and unaffordable as it is now, with the imposition of an 18 percent value-added tax raising the prices of school supplies.
The imposition of VAT was the third biggest blow to the education sector in recent years after the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis of 2022. Parents told the Sunday Times that the VAT-added prices had diminished their ability to educate their children.
Traders, parents, and teachers described the situation as difficult on all fronts, with corners being cut and negative coping mechanisms being adopted to ensure an education for children.
Nirosha Lakmali, a parent of four children, claimed that her family has drastically altered their lifestyle to adjust to the high prices. This year, one of her children will begin school, but she has still not bought the stationery and other items.
Chamali Jayewardena, whose Grade 2 child attends Mahinda College, Colombo 10, said, “Parents are working hard to give their kids a top-notch education, but most parents are finding it increasingly difficult to do so, particularly in households with one working parent."
"My husband is the sole breadwinner in our family. The cost of schooling has gone up since my son entered Grade 2; these include the year’s book list and transportation expenses, and we are having trouble paying for these extra costs," she said.
Krishan Gunasekera is a private sector executive-grade
employee. He said he found it difficult to meet the increased costs, and he wondered how lowincome households would handle the strain of the additional load.
Sugandhika Nanayakkara, a parent of four schoolgoing children, said, “In the past, we would buy the complete book list from a single store, but today we have to visit several stores to look for discounts and then buy from the store that offers the best deals."
He complained that some school authorities were insensitive to the difficulties parents faced that they demanded stationery and equipment be of specific brands. “When we go to bookstore after bookstore in search of the least expensive books and stationery, schools ask for branded stationery, adding more burden on us,” he said.
He now spends an extra Rs
15,000 to educate a child. Parents are under severe financial strain as a result of schools taking on extra charges as facility fees, claiming that they are for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, he said. Meanwhile, stationery suppliers said they were experiencing a 25 percent drop in sales compared to last year.
T Vasekaram, proprietor of A B Polythene, a bookstore at People’s Park in Pettah, said he still sold items at the old price, but when the new supplies came, the VAT factor would cause a price hike.
He said that since many parents come to Pettah in search of books and stationery at affordable prices, he made it a point to offer discounts as much as he could. “Despite efforts to provide good deals, consumers still find them inadequate,” he said.
Moreover, because of the VATrelated high prices and sales drops, imports of stationery items have also come down.
“Back then, people used to give an entire book list and purchase
all items on the list,” said Shantha Seneviratne, the manager of S Lanka Traders, a wholesale stationery store at Pettah’s People’s Park Complex.
“Parents now carefully evaluate the things they currently own and cut down on the amount they need to purchase. This change in consumer behaviour has resulted in the loss of almost five-tenths of the book lists that we usually get," he said.
Mr Seneviratne said imported goods and office supplies were already seeing price increases brought on by VAT, while exercise books were still untouched.
“Parents are less able to pay for meals, transportation, and school supplies because of rising expenses. Children whose parents cannot afford to buy books and stationery items are unwilling to go to school. They stop learning and possibly experience emotional stress,” Lumbini Vidyalaya Principal Ven Divithure Samantha Thera said.
Without proper stationery, children struggle in class, but if the schools insist they bring proper stationery and equipment, it puts pressure on families,"
the principal said, describing the children's plight as a grave offence against them.
Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin acknowledged that both schools and parents were going through difficult times.
Citing the latest data received from schools, Mr Stalin said a number of pupils have dropped out of school because their parents could not afford shoes, bags, school supplies, and other necessities. “Conversely, the students that do show up are not frequent attendees. Teachers are unwilling to impose any obligations on the children because they are aware of the challenges the parents confront,” Mr Stalin said.
Stating that the government has failed to recognise the gravity of the present crisis, Kotahena Central College Principal Mohan Parakrama Weerasinghe requested that the authorities make maximum efforts not to add more burdens to the parents, who already have a heavy load on their shoulders, and also ensure every child receives the basic education required for the greater good of society.