The prices of school supplies have increased by more than 100% compared to 2023. A school bag that was sold for 135,000 Syrian pounds (SYP) and considered of medium quality reached 310,000 SYP this year.

The new school year, which starts on September 8, brings significant worries for parents trying to manage the costs of stationery and clothing amid a deteriorating economic and living situation. The minimum wage set by the regime government does not exceed 279,000 SYP ($18 USD).

Skyrocketing prices

Thabet, a 42-year-old government employee who works as a taxi driver in the afternoon, said he was shocked by the exorbitant prices. Calculating the costs needed for his three children (two in primary school and one in middle school), he mentioned that he needs around 4 million SYP.

This amount is if he decides to buy clothes, stationery, bags, shoes, and books of popular types, as he did not dare to visit larger stores or agencies.

The man finds no alternative to recycling clothes among his children, as he cannot afford any additional expenses. The goal is to save as much as possible, even if it means his children cannot have new supplies.

The price of a school bag on street stalls in popular markets like al-Anabaa and al-Quwatli ranges between 75,000 to 250,000 SYP. The price of a low-quality notebook ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 SYP, a pen between 1,000 to 2,000 SYP, and a box of colors between 5,000 to 10,000 SYP.

The price increases in bookstores to between 8,000 to 12,000 SYP for good quality notebooks for primary classes, while the price for middle and secondary school notebooks reaches 45,000 SYP. Pens range from 3,000 to 8,000 SYP depending on their type, and bags start at 325,000 SYP and go up to more than half a million SYP.

School supplies prices are soaring in Latakia – August 28, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Linda Ali)

Buying used items from neighbors

Syrians are used to giving away items they no longer need. At the beginning of each school year, neighbors used to exchange school uniforms that no longer fit their children. For instance, a woman would give her child’s uniform to her neighbor’s child.

This tradition has stopped today, and instead of gifting, these items are now sold at low prices. Lamia (41 years old) bought a school uniform for her 9-year-old daughter, which belonged to her neighbor’s daughter, for 25,000 SYP instead of paying 100,000 SYP for it in the market.

Lamia sees this as a mutual benefit, as she buys at a lower price than the market, and her neighbor gets some money to add to buy new clothes for her daughter.

Lamia, who works as a saleswoman in a second-hand clothing store in the al-Ziraa neighborhood and lives in the al-Datur neighborhood, added that so far she has only prepared the uniform, which she considered a “find,” while her daughter still needs shoes that will not cost less than 75,000 SYP from street stalls. She still needs supplies for her other child in secondary school.

Mrs. Lamia needs significant costs for private lessons, school clothes, and notebooks as her salary of no more than 500,000 SYP is not enough to prepare one of her children for school.

The prices of uniforms for grades one through four range from 75,000 to 200,000 SYP, depending on their quality, while the school uniform for students from grade five to ninth ranges from 400,000 to 800,000 SYP.

The uniform consists of pants, a jacket, and a shirt, and parents often buy them separately, meaning just pants and a shirt without the jacket. Shoes range between 150,000 to 600,000 SYP.

The Ministry of Education in the regime government-controlled areas had previously issued a directive on August 22, 2021, advising not to strictly enforce the school uniform. School principals were allowed to accept any appropriate or close form of dress while minimizing the required stationery. However, even this solution is costly and does not align with the current living conditions.