Schools and parents stare at rising costs

There has been 20% to 40% increase in the cost of all stationery supplies, say schools and parents

With schools all set to reopen in Tamil Nadu later this month for the 2022-23 academic year, parents are going through the drill of buying notebooks, stationery, uniforms, bags and shoes. This year, there has been a noticeable increase of 20% to 40% in prices, both schools and parents say. 

For K. Radhakrishnan, who has a daughter in Class X this academic year, the rising cost of notebooks and uniforms have added to his concern about the fees that the school was charging. “Most parents are in a state of confusion now since we are not aware of what percentage of fees we are expected to pay upfront this academic year. Owing to COVID-19 in the last two years, schools had been instructed only to collect a part of the fees,” he said. 

For the upcoming academic year, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the prices of notebooks, which the school supplied and had been factored into the fees, had risen. “When asked, we are being told that costs have risen. There is a noticeable increase of at least 30%,” he said. 

To make it convenient for parents, many private schools have a tie-up with vendors who supply notebooks as well as uniforms before the start of the academic year. After two years of uncertainty and schools suspending physical classes owing to COVID-19, students are expected to turn out in full strength for the 2022-23 academic year. 

“We have seen an increase of over 25% in the cost of uniforms, socks, shoes and notebooks this year, which we supply to the students. Vendors indicate that input costs had risen and have subsequently hiked prices,” said N. Vijayan, Correspondent, Zion group of schools. 

While the overall demand for uniforms has been high, T. Vignesh, who runs Sri Mohan Dress Centre, says the supply has been low. “There is a high demand for polyester yarn in particular and the market has mostly been export oriented. With cost of raw material shooting up, we had to increase the prices by nearly 40%,” he said.