Published on: Thursday, January 04, 2007 |
Kota Kinabalu: School workbooks were utmost in parents' minds when the new school season began Wednesday, in addition to other essentials. A random Daily Express survey revealed parents getting more concerned about workbooks, the cost of which they said keeps increasing each year.
Loaned textbooks are a breather but only for some parents who qualify, saving them at least half the total expenses they would otherwise incur.
One parent, Zainin Md Laya, a Sabah Railway Department staff, said he paid about RM50 for workbooks and RM67 for textbooks for each of his two children who are in Primary Two and Three at SK Stella Maris in Tanjung Aru. This meant almost RM250 from his pay packet that is already stretched by the fuel price hike, among others.
Another parent, Joheni, who works for City Hall, paid about RM100 for his Primary One child's text and workbooks and more for each of his Primary Six and Primary Three children, also at the same school.
A mother, Rosmawati Hamzah, who has five school-going children, had to spend about RM130 for textbooks and workbooks for each child.
A single parent, Pauline said she managed to save RM78, the cost for textbooks, which were loaned to her Primary Five son. "The workbooks, however, amounted to RM71.55 which had increased from last year," she said.
Another problem encountered by parents was that of transportation between home and the school. One parent, who declined to be named, said she had to pay RM70 for the monthly school bus fare for her child, which had increased from RM60.
Another said she would probably use public transport because it is hard to find a bus willing to take her child from their Kg Bahang home in Penampang to the school in Tg Aru.
Most of the parents also said they spent about RM200 for two new sets of uniforms, shoes, etc, for each child.
It's not a small amount of money that we parents have to fork out, said bank officer Hasnah Pasaba, 33.
"I have four children and the amount I have to pay for school fees is quite high," she said, lamenting that children with parents earning above RM2,000 should also be eligible for textbook loans from their schools.
"This is a burden especially to those with five or more children schooling at the same time," she pointed out. "I suggest that all children receive the same treatment in getting the textbook assistance.
"I spent at least RM300 on each of my children's school fees, uniforms, shoes, extra curricular books and others," she added.
Hasnah said she started buying the uniforms, shoes and other stationery in advance. "I don't believe in buying school items at the last minute as this would make you fork out more money."
Likewise Johar Ariffin Abu Hassan, 33, said he spent a lot of money on his two daughters.
"Each one of them spent at least RM300 to buy uniforms, shoes and other school items," he said, adding, school fees amounted to about RM200 each.
"It's a lot of money to spend just to register my daughter for Primary One. She needs new uniforms, bags and stationery, while her sister still uses her old uniform," he said.
"For a government school the fees and other matters should not be high," said Johar who is in the army.
"What about those parents who are poor and have three or four children who need to go to school?"
For farmer Lim Chew Hing, 36, the school expenses he had to bear for all of his three children was a burden. "I had to start saving early as this is the only way for me to pay the fees and buy school uniforms, shoes and stationery."
"For my son who is in Primary One, I had to buy new uniform that cost about RM80 for two pairs, shoes, bags, stationery," he said. "I spent about RM1,300 on all three of them."
As for Noraizan Yussof, 27, a clerk, her two sons did not get the school text books assistance. "I spent about RM1,000 just for the two of themÉschool fees amounted to about RM300 each including for religious class tuition, RM200 for text books and RM80 for uniforms."
"Its is expensive considering they are just primary pupils," she said.
A teacher and her self-employed husband spent close to RM700 to cover their two sons' schooling expenses in SJK © Chung Hwa, Likas.
She said the money was for new books, shoes, school uniform, physical education and extra-curricular uniform, school badge, socks, stationery and water bottles for their two sons, one of whom entered Primary One.
"As a teacher myself I cannot say that the books that parents need to buy for their children are a burden but more towards catering to educational needs nowadays," said Connie @ Najwa Abdullah, 35.
She and her husband, Dzulkifly Awang, 40, had to start saving early in preparation for the new school term since being a teacher she is ineligible for the text book loan scheme.
She also could not pass on the old text books used by her first son, Idzuan Daniel who is now in Primary Three for her second son, Idham Dylan to use in Primary One because the school had made some changes in several subjects for the new term.
This has forced parents had to buy new books for subjects like Chinese mathematics, English-language mathematics, English-language science and classroom computer for their children starting Primary One.
"I had to buy new books for Idham and of course this can be burdening to those in the lower-income bracket, although the old books can still be used as a reference material," she said, adding that in the second school term, the pupils are required to change books again.
On the reason for sending her sons to a government-type Chinese school, Najwa said, was because she wanted to give them the opportunity to excel in Mandarin that would be an advantage for in their adulthood.
After Primary Six, the couple plan to send their children to a Christian mission school or those known for their strict discipline.
Meanwhile, Sabah Education Director, Normah Gagoh said the department did not encounter any problems on the first day of the first term of schooling.
"Usually, like last year, we received complaints, especially from Chinese school pupils over failure to register, failure to find their names on the school's list, etc. This year however was smooth," she said.
