Education

  Star Education Fair

Sunday December 27, 2009

A costly start

BY TAN EE LOO and CINDY POH

The ever-increasing expenses that come up with every academic year is a trying period for parents who must ensure that their children have at least the basic school items.

KEE: ... consumers’ spending habits have changed.

IT IS that time of the year when the anticipation of going back to school brings both anxiety and excitement to children and their parents.

While rigid schedules and new routines can trigger the jitters among school-going children, parents too can be stressed from the expenses that arise from buying back-to-school items that range from uniforms to stationery.

With children wanting the latest school shoes, bags and water bottles, parents have to set aside a hefty amount just buying these items.

LEE: Most parents will fulfil their children’s needs

Kindergarten teacher U. Suganthi was surprised that the uniforms that she bought for her two primary school-going sons late last year were not priced as before. It was only a marginal increase for the uniforms, but her total expenditure for school items alone came up to RM500.

“I was surprised when I saw the price increase. But if you go for the cheaper ones, the quality may be questionable,” she says.

Parent Chua Hooi Dean also felt the pinch when she had to pay more than RM800 when shopping for her two children in primary schools recently.

“I didn’t feel the pinch last year, but this year, definitely so ... because things are getting more expensive,” she says.

The long school break in December is an exciting time for schoolchildren but it is tough on low- and medium-income earners who have to fork out quite a bit for their children for the new school year.

For those who celebrate Christmas and the upcoming Chinese New Year, the pressure to come up with an effective family budget is even more intense.

Based on the predictions by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Malaysia’s economy is expected to return to growth in 2010.

Shoe shopping: Lee making sure her daughters get shoes that fit.

Nevertheless, cautious spending habits are here to stay. Consumers, especially parents, are getting savvy about scoring the best possible deals during the back-to-school shopping season.

Parent Tew Sok Hong says she would think twice before heading to the cash registers.

“Although I have an idea of what I’m going to buy, I am a cautious spender. I make it a point to vist retail outlets and stores to compare prices before buying,” says the mother of three.

While prices of some back-to-school items have gone up, their increases have been minimal between RM1 and RM2 but not more than RM5,” says parent Mimi Sulaiman.

Most children, says Mimi, would want to look good on their first day of school.

While customer traffic is still looking good, says MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Donald Kee, consumers’ spending habits have changed.

Suganthi and husband K. Siva Sangaran browsing through books at a back-to-school book and Christmas fair with children Kooghan Nair 8, and Theeban Nair, 11.

“Customers are prudent and spending less on expensive items like coffee table and hard cover books. But that doesn’t mean they are not buying.

“Malls still have high traffic as most Malaysians are not taking long holidays abroad. Instead, they take their children and families to the mall, especially to the bookstores.

“Reading is an alternative in place of an expensive trip or entertainment,” he says.

A necessity

Some parents, however, do not mind spending more on these back-to-school items when they get their year-end bonus.

“I don’t usually look at advertisements on back-to-school bargains and end up buying more than needed as back-up,” says parent Mahani Mohd Yusoff.

Another parent Maria Wan Malek also says she doesn’t mind spending more as long as her soon-to-be Year One child is happy.

“I’m not really worried when it comes to spending on these items as the economy is slowly catching up,” she says.

Rich or poor, during good or bad economic times, parents would still allocate some money for their children’s needs, says Bata Marketing Sdn Bhd (Bata) retail operations manager Lee Sin Kee.

“Most parents will do their best to fulfil their children’s needs because they are their priority. They may be spending more cautiously but school items like shoes are a necessity. ” he says.

StarEducation checked with several parents and students of different socio-economic backgrounds around the Klang Valley, Penang, Johor, and found that most parents spent between RM100 and RM500 on a child these days at the start of a new school year (see table).

Spoilt for choice: Mimi checking out the school bags with her children Jazmeen Md Zulfadzli, 11, and Sofeea, 10.

Grandmother Fuziah Ahmad of Shah Alam says she will not cut back on spending for her grandchildren’s educational needs.

“We can cut back on birthdays and the festive celebrations, but not education because it is a priority,” she adds.

According to Lee, among the factors that parents take into consideration when buying back-to-school items are the quality, durability, comfort, convenience, and sometimes the fashion and trends, depending on the child’s age.

As for the spending habits between urbanites and those living in rural areas, Lee says the two are quite different.

School uniforms are a necessity. In good economic times or bad, parents still need to buy school essentials.

“Those in urban areas tend to have smaller families and have much higher disposable income than those who live in rural areas with larger families.

Meanwhile, Chua of Seri Kembangan says she would always looks out for the quality first

“For instance, bags must be hardy to take the weight of the books that our children take to school. If one uses a cheaper bag, it may tear as it may be of inferior quality.

“My kids have a lot of books to carry to school so they need a good quality bag that is reasonabally priced,” she says.

Another parent who will not compromise when it comes to the quality of uniforms and shoes is Jenny Lee. “What’s the point in buying cheap shoes and uniforms if they are going to get work off in a few months?” she asks. Engineer John Daniel says parents could encourage their children to do well in studies by providing them with new uniforms, shoes, and bags.

“I think children have an inferiority complex if they use old items all the time. It is important that parents prioritise their children’s needs and award them with new items each year as this helps boost their confidence.

“That is why my wife and I are putting our children’s needs first ... Christmas and New Year shopping comes second,” he says.

Feeling the pinch

Although not all parents are complaining about paying for their children’s expenses, it can be a burden for single parents like Sally Almeida who has to support her three school-going children.

Separated from her husband, Sally describes the back-to-school shopping period as one of the most stressful periods of the year.

“Not only do I have to worry about the uniforms, shoes and work books, I also need to allocate enough money to pay for their transportation fees, social activities for the year ahead,” she says.

Fortunately, she says, her children often get school bags and some school items as birthday presents which help ease her financial burden.

“I always tell my children that there’ll always be someone who is better or worse than them and that they need to know the importance of looking after their belongings,” she says.

Loh Swee Chiew, also a single mother of three, who works at a canteen, says the golden rule is to cut down on unnecessary spending. “I do this by encouraging my school-going son to use his uniforms and shoes until he outgrows them.

“My son is aware of the hardships we face and is not demanding,” she shares adding that her son walks to school and does not attend any tuition.

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