As schools open, price hike hits school supplies, pinches parents' pockets
NUR IFTITAH ROZLAN , MUKHRIZ MAT HUSIN , MOHAMMAD KHAIRIL ASHRAF MOHD KHALID , RAJA NUR FAZNIE AIDA , SYAMILAH ZULKIFLI , SAIFULLAH AHMAD , NOR AZURA MD AMIN
SHAH ALAM - Parents now have to bear the price hike of back-to-school supplies which have increased around 30 to 40 per cent.
Among the prices of items and services that have increased were stationaries, notebooks, canteen food and bus fares.
Based on Sinar Harian's observation, many of the stationary stores and bookstores in the Klang Valley have started to increase the prices in several items, recently.
This included almost all exercise books and A4 papers which saw an increase from 50 sen to RM1.
Many parents with children who are still in school have expressed their worries of having to spend more.
In the previous year, they said they had to spend around RM300, but now due to the price hike, they had to spend up to RM400.
Traders also admitted that the situation this time around was different compared to before as prices for items which remained unchanged for years, have also increased.
Meanwhile, the fares for transportation were expected to increase starting July due to the skyrocketing cost of maintenance as well as auto spare parts.
Federation of School Bus Associations Malaysia president Amali Munif Rahmat however, assured that the increase in the fares of school busses and vans would be minimal and would not burden the parents.
He said the increase rate of bus fares would differ based on the location and status of the local community, as the government no longer controlled the price of bus fares since Jan 1, 2015.
Parents also faced the price hike of canteen food as the price of fresh produce went up.
A canteen owner from Ipoh, Perak said the increase in the price of raw ingredients were obvious and burdensome.
However, she said she did not have the heart to increase the price of the food she sells as she knew that there were parents who were unable to afford it as they have already spent a lot of money for their children to go back to school.
The rising expenditure cost for school was not only the cause of concern for the B40 group, but also the middle-income group who felt the rising cost of living.
