Time to get back

After two long months of break, fourth grader Adeel Dhiman has been chanting ‘I don’t want to go back to school’ non-stop for a week.

With his school set to open next week, Adeel’s parents took him shopping to a stationery store to replenish his school supplies so that he gets excited and motivated for the coming term. “He sounded a lot more excited when we told him we’re going shopping for school supplies. Of course, the novelty will last for a week after school reopens,” said Adeel’s mother Sneha Dhiman.

Summer holidays have almost come to an end and with retail outlets displaying ‘back to school offers’, parents like Adeel’s are worried about the hole in the wallet.

Parents have expressed concern that most children, under peer pressure, pester them to buy what their friends have. Young kids want the Spiderman and Batman pencil cases and bags, while the older kids tell their parents that they ‘absolutely cannot complete their homework without the iPad’.

Khaleej Times takes a look at what parents have to say, what retail outlets have to offer, and what students are really looking forward to.

‘Not Cheap Anymore’

Dana Mubarak, Lebanese national and mother of two sons, said that private education in the country is already an expensive affair. “My older son is in Grade 8 and the younger one in Grade 4. The school fee comes up to an aggregate of Dh5,000 per month. What takes a heavy toll on our wallets are the hidden expenses like if the children want an update on technology or examination or ‘entertainment’ fees,” said Mubarak. She added that as compared to a few years ago, school uniforms, books, and bags have definitely become much more expensive.

Parent and Senior English teacher at Our Own English High School, Sharjah, Dolly Gir said: “Several parents have complained about things becoming more expensive. My younger son Kunal is aged 13. His school fee comes up to Dh1,000 per month. Children grow in height and weight during their teen years. Boys outgrow clothes and shoes very fast, so we need to get them a new pair every few months. When we went to buy uniforms, it was so much more expensive. We paid Dh384 for four pairs of white uniforms. Few years back, it would come to a little over Dh200.”

As a teacher, Gir noticed that parents were concerned about peer pressure, which forced children to pestering their parents for school accessories that are in vogue. “Sometimes parents do say no to their children, but a majority of them have no other choice but to yield to their kids’ demands.” Gir advised parents to teach children to not go for stationary that is expensive or fancy. Few students also require an upgrade in gadgets for the beginning of the school year. “I’ve heard a lot of parents say that their kids want an i-Pad or tablets for homework. The best thing to do is to teach children the habit of saving. They can buy what they want with the pocket money they have saved,” added Gir.

Parents can also look for places with discounts to buy school products.

Meeting friends

Most students, of course, hate getting back to school. Their only attraction is meeting their friends. Adeel Dhiman said: “I want to meet my friends again. It always looks cool to go back to school with new things. All my other friends will have new bags and books, as well.”

Inaaz Mubarak another Grade 9 student said: “I just want to get back and meet my friends. We have been staying in touch using Facebook, but hanging around in school is always better.”

Exciting offers

Retail outlets across the Emirates have lined up exciting Back to School offers. Shopping malls across the country began advertising their Back to School offers late last month. Ruban Shanmugharaja, general manager, Babyshop, UAE said: “Back to School is also a very competitive time as retailers across the board are similarly focused on the same. We would expect a healthy growth in sales during this period.”

He added: “There has been a steady rise in the number of people shopping for Back to School products. The population in the UAE is predominantly young, with a lot of families based in the country. This has also grown with the return of greater stability to the economic environment over the past few years.”

Commenting on Ministry initiatives, Shanmugharaja said: “The initiatives by the Ministry of Economy is a great step to ensure that consumers are protected from malpractices. As a retailer who has been in the UAE for over 20 years, Babyshop has a standardised procedure related to pricing. With our focus maintained on offering unparalleled value to the customer, we are confident that our prices remain attractive. During the Back to School season, prices remain consistent, based on our procurement.”

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com