Parents feel the pinch of rising school costs
Education Ministry agrees the back-toschool period is a ‘costly time of year’ for parents. Jessica Long reports.
Year after year it’s the same story.
The price of children’s school supplies goes up, putting pressure on Kiwi families as parents struggle to meet the costs.
The Ministry of Education says it’s a ‘‘costly time of year’’ for parents, and 2018 is no different.
As children head back to school from Monday some parents may look forward to a reprieve, but the age-old pinch has continued with what seems like an ever-expanding list of supplies.
Some schools request students bring communal classroom items. Wellington’s Holy Cross School in Miramar is not alone in asking for ‘‘2 x Large boxes of tissues’’ on its 2018 back-to-school list.
Electronic items have continued to make their way onto lists and the needs are growing, adding up to thousands of dollars in some cases as schools require items like USB drives, Chromebooks, and headphones.
Most schools require different types of stationery for a child to be prepared for the start of Term 1. Some keep it simple by simply asking for pens, paper and rulers, while others request particular brands, such as Faber Castell pencils, Crayola felt pens and Amos glue sticks.
Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) president Jack Boyle said it is no secret those lists have morphed and grown in as little as a decade.
At Kapanui School in Waikanae it is ‘‘compulsory’’ for students to bring their own computer mouse.
Boyle said the rising costs and growing lists are traced back to a lack of regulation, ‘‘like a pot, bubbling away on the back-element’’.
‘‘If you make that call that these are core-learning devices then they’re going to have to be paid for by the state.’’ he said.
‘‘Almost 100 per cent of parents want the absolute best for their children.
‘‘There’s going to be a huge amount of pressure for them to somehow ensure their child has
"There’s going to be a huge amount of pressure for them [parents] to somehow ensure their child has got that device et cetera and it increases inequality."
PPTA president Jack Boyle
got that device et cetera and it increases inequality.’’
Some schools also request parents purchase emergency items such as a blanket and food from the school.
Lists include ID cards, locker hire, the optional school magazine and diaries. Some subjects required extra materials and other ‘‘donations’’.
Uniforms, backpacks and pencil cases – the lists go on.
Katrina Casey, the Ministry of Education’s enablement and support sector deputy secretary, acknowledges the post-Christmas, pre-school period is a costly time of year for parents.
Any parent worried about backto-school costs, such as uniforms, stationery or other school equipment, should talk to their school, she said.
When asked about the addition of communal school items on some state and state-integrated stationery lists for 2018, Casey said the items fell under the same bracket as voluntary donations.
That means it is up to the parent to pay, or not, in accordance with the Government’s agreement.
Casey said it was important for parents to remember that any request for donations or classroom materials was voluntary.