Prices of books, pens rise as home schooling picks pace

Parents in Namutumba District are experiencing an unprecedented rise in prices of scholastic materials, including pens, textbooks and pencils, as home learning slowly gains ground among learners.

Following the lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19 , the government adopted home learning model that has seen lessons being relayed to pupils remotely through radios, televisions and other virtual platforms.
While the intention was good, the initiative has seen the prices of scholastic items almost doubling, prompting parents to seek government intervention.

“I used to buy an ordinary Bic pen at Shs500, but it is now being sold at Shs800 while a Nice Clear pen is now going for Shs500, up from Shs300, and a pencil is being sold at Shs300, up from Shs100,” Mr Mwebaze Waiswa, a resident of Namutumba Town Council, said.
Mr Mwebaze said the government is reluctant to regulate the prices of scholastic materials before schools re-open, adding that parents are at a disadvantage of not being able to educate their children if there is no intervention.

Mr Ronald Kibenge, another parent and resident of Kirinya Village in Namutumba Sub-county, urged the government to regulate the prices of scholastic materials and fees structures in private schools before schools reopen.
“We have reached a point where education is no longer a basic need for all, but only for the wealthy,” he said.
Mr Joel Kange, a resident of Bulafa village in Namutumba Sub-county, warns that the government’s reluctance to intervene will leave few parents able to take their children back to school when they reopen.
“It is a common practice by the government to pay a deaf ear when it comes to the regulation of commodity prices but this time, we are not going to keep quiet like we did to setting up the minimum salary,” he said.
Mr John Kasadha, a resident of Bulafa Village in Namutumba Sub-county, said pens and pencils have been the cheapest items compared to shoes and uniforms.
“But if their prices have now risen, how much will a pair of shoes be sold at when schools reopen given the banning of weekly markets?” he said, fearing that even fees might be doubled.
Mr Hassan Nabongho, who owns a bookshop in Namutumba Town Council, said scholastic materials like pens have been scarce during the Covid-19 pandemic and attributed the rise in their prices to factories’ realignment.

“It is not our wish to increase the prices of pens and pencils, but we are selling them depending on the prices we buy them from the factories,” he said.
Mr Peter Kitamirike, who owns Kisa Kyamukama Bookshop in Namutumba Town Council, however, said there is a high demand for pens, pencils and books as pupils study from home.
He said the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic did not stop parents and learners from buying pens, pencils and books for revision.

“Pupils who are learning from home through radios and televisions need books and pens for writing,” he argued.
Mr Yona Waisana, a bookshop wholesaler in Bugobi Town Council, attributed the rise in prices of scholastic materials to the closure of borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Namutumba District Education Officer (DEO), Mr Muhammed Isiko, however, lauded the Ministry of Education for coming up with the home learning programme, which he says “is doing well”.
He said many parents have embraced the model and teachers will simply be doing revision when schools reopen.
“The closure of schools did not mean parents will not buy pens and pencils for their children. Serious parents are buying pens, books and pencils for their children to revise and be assessed while at home,” he said.

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