With a new school term having started two Mondays ago, this week we asked ten parents in Essequibo whether it was costly to get their children ready for the new school term. Their comments follow:
Interviews and photos by Kenesha Fraser
Kumarie Brathwaite, movie vendor – ‘It was very expensive and costly to buy things for my child for this school term. My son had to get everything new for school and I have noticed that things got more expensive. So instead of sticking to my budget, I had to get the money to buy more things for him. As a parent, I would like to see some prices lowered around school time so that it can be more affordable for parents to be able to purchase items for our children. Our children are the future generation so we have to make sure that they are comfortable.’
Earl Baptist, boat captain – ‘I have a big family so I had to buy school things for all of my children. It was tough for me because things are very expensive. I have a child in secondary school and I was surprised to know that I have to purchase textbooks for her. I got a $1,500 school voucher for each of my children but that could not really buy anything. Can you imagine that one water bottle for a nursery school child is $600? Things are so expensive now and it is very rough on poor people.’
Kavita Singh, housewife – ‘For this school term I found it very stressful because all the prices for the things I needed for my son have gone up. Even though I was given the voucher, it did not buy everything that I had to get for my child. The school items have raised so high now and the things are more expensive. My son is in Grade 4 and as a parent it is my duty to make sure that he is well prepared for school. The things that I bought amounted to a lot of money and I’m hoping that for the next school term, prices can be dropped to suit my budget.’
Beverly Narine, housewife – ‘I found it very rough to buy things for my children this term. I have 4 children and I had to get new things for all of them. My big daughter is in secondary school and she was told that she has to buy all her textbooks and it’s very hard. I would have been happy if the school could have provided the books for them to use. Things are so expensive now that $800 is the price for one school shirt. I am grateful for the voucher that the government has given because it helped me but the prices for simple things like ribbons have gone so high and I believe that should be lowered. We can only buy what we can afford and as parents we would all want to get the best things for our children.’
Amelia Sukhram, domestic engineer – ‘I think it was harder this term to outfit my daughter for school because the money is not circulating as usual. All the businesses are down because gold miners and rice farmers are not being paid accordingly. If we compare this school term to others, we will find that the prices for items have been raised. Some vendors who are accepting the school vouchers are even pulling up their prices and that is not right. Something should be done to make sure that each person who purchases items can get their money’s worth and that they can be treated in an ethical manner.’
Arunie McLeod, clothes vendor – ‘It was not really hard this time around for me to purchase things for my child. I got the voucher from the government but honestly it didn’t buy anything much because the prices for things raise. In times before, the items were cheaper and we could have been able to get more things with the money but now times have become harder and things change. I want my daughter to be comfortable so I buy the best things for her.’
Mekesha George, cosmetologist – ‘It was tough this term for me to be able to outfit my children for the new school term because I had to make sure that they got everything new for school. The prices for all of the school items necessary for my kids have rocketed causing me to spend more than I expected. I was given a uniform voucher and it helped to buy a couple of items. I believe that things such as books, pencils and socks should be cheaper so that each parent can be able to buy the items needed for their children.’
Kenesha Douglas, self-employed – ‘At the beginning of this new school term, it was harder to purchase things for my children because the cost of living has risen and things have gotten more expensive. Most people in my area depend on farming and mining and since marketing for the produce has become difficult to find and the gold price has been lowered, we as parents have to squeeze, pinch and stretch the little dollars that we have in order to make sure our children are well prepared for school. There are still other bills to pay such as light, water and food and over the years, I have noticed that the prices for school items have escalated. They are some things that are available at a cheap price but when we buy the cheap things, they are not durable and in the long run it becomes harder for parents.’
Mignon Alphonso, sales clerk – ‘I didn’t find it hard this year to outfit my child for school because I just have one child going to school. The voucher was given to us this year and it help to offset some expenses. Some persons can afford to buy the expensive items for their children while it is tough on others. The cost of living has risen over time so it indeed has an impact on the lives of each person.’
Collin Munroe, bus driver – ‘As a parent I always want the best for my children and for this new school term, I made it my duty to make sure my child had the best items to start school with. Things have become so rough that sometimes it is hard to afford the items that are needed for our children. I was able to purchase all the school items for my child even though the prices have gone up.’
