Mumbai schools throw the ‘book’ at parents

This school year is going to be a double whammy for
parents, especially those who have children studying in Std X.

While the state government is yet to restrain schools from
arbitrary fee hikes, parents are now being saddled with yet another burden — the rising cost of school uniforms and textbooks for the students of Std X.

Parents are shocked by the astronomical increase in the price of school uniforms. The new editions of textbooks under the new SSC curriculum are priced at twice the amount of the previous ones.

“I had to spend nearly Rs850 on one set of school uniform for my son, even though he will be leaving school next year and will not have any use for it. Textbooks cost Rs350. This is double the amount I spent last year,” said Ashok Vaman, whose son is studying in Std X at a school in Andheri.

School uniform suppliers have attributed the increase in the cost of school uniforms to a sudden rise in the cost of yarn. The cost of each set of uniform (shirt and trouser/blouse and skirt) has increased from an average of Rs500 to nearly Rs800 for this academic year.

“Parents and schools are unwilling to give us the full amount. They refuse to believe that the cost of the yarn has gone up. At the same time, if we charge a lower price, all the uniforms that have already been made will be wasted,” said Nitin Kapadia, a supplier from Modern Store in Vile Parle.

Parents whose children are going to appear for the board exams this year have to cough up even more money with the rise in the cost of new textbooks.

The textbooks for the common curriculum in maths and science for Stds IX and X, introduced to bring state board students at par with those from other boards, cost double the amount of the old textbooks.

The textbooks, priced at not more than Rs30 earlier, now cost more than Rs60 to Rs70 each.