DAR ES SALAAM: AS the festive season comes to an end, parents and guardians have embarked on a shopping frenzy before schools reopen next week.
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has already released a new academic calendar which indicate that schools will reopen on January 8, 2024.
A spot check by the ‘Daily News’ in several streets along the busy Kariakoo Market established long queues of parents and guardians accompanied by their children at bookshops, stationeries and uniform and shoe shops as they scramble to get school necessities.
School uniforms, steel metal boxes, exercise books, pens and textbooks were among the essential items parents and guardians needed to buy for their children, leading to an increase in demand.
Mr Sijaona Dickson, a school uniform trader located in the bustling alley of Pemba and Nyamwezi streets, said that the demand rises significantly in January after the festivities, compared to other months.
He explained that while the demand is high, many customers have been requesting for discounts, complaining about the exorbitant prices of school uniforms.
“As a retailer of school uniforms, our prices do not change much every year. However, when wholesalers increase the prices, we are also forced to increase because if we don’t do so we don’t get any profit,” he said.
Albina Shayo, a mother of three children who visited Kariakoo yesterday to buy school supplies for her children, raised concerned over hiked prices, especially for school uniforms, which pose a challenge for parents with many children.
“The traders have a tendency of hiking prices for school uniforms every year. You have to budget not less than 200,000/- or 300,000/- to cater for the needs of three children … we are also required to pay for school fees, this is very challenging, especially for children who are in private schools,” she complained.
While parents express concerns about the rising prices of school uniforms, there is some relief in terms of other school supplies.
Khalfani Mwinshehe, a trader at Tandamti/ Nyamwezi Street, said although the demand for school supplies increases, the prices of most items remain relatively stable each year.
“The prices of notebooks, pens and other classroom supplies have remained relatively the same over the years. There might be slight fluctuations, but not significant ones.”
Mr Mwinshehe also noted that the demand for school supplies is high in December and January compared to other months. Currently, parents tend to purchase a lot of exercise books, pens, rulers, pencils and textbooks.
On the other hand, Mr Gumbo Amos, a book seller in Gerezani area in Dar es Salaam, said the demand is high for them though it’s not like previous years due to increase in number of suppliers.
“For us book sellers, the situation is a little better, although not significantly. For example, at this time, students are starting first grade or entering Form One, so they have to buy books. They come in large numbers and the prices are good,” he said.
As parents make efforts to send their children to school, a report from December 30, 2023, indicates that Dar es Salaam region is projected to enrol approximately 123,866 preschool pupils, 113,629 pupils in class one, and 91,444 secondary school students in form one.
