By Amoto Ndiewo
Shops in Garissa town are abuzz with parents buying various items for their children after schools reopened.
Despite biting drought and effects of Covid-19 that has ravaged the economy leading to diminished resources, parents flocked to shops to buy various items required by their children as they returned to school.
“Not only was the one week school break too short, but the prices of school items have shot through the roof during this hard economic times ,’’ complained Mohamed Muktar, a resident of Garissa town who was buying books at Bukhari Bookshop.
Muktar, who has four children in four different private schools, told Education News that the 120 page exercise books needed by the private schools that used to cost Sh70 per exercise book now cost Sh90 each.
A spot-check in town by Education News revealed that the prices of text books, too, have slightly shot up.
Mohamed Rashid, the proprietor of the Bukhari bookshop explained that they are getting supplies at higher prices.
“All along the parents knew that the schools were just closing for one week but some are rushing to buy educational items days after schools have reopened,’’ he said.
He noted that the late shopping after schools opened means that the students are late to begin their learning.
“In the past schools used to take a few days cleaning up before learning proper begins, that is no longer the case,’’ he said.
That notwithstanding, to curb late reporting to school some private schools in Garissa town have placed a financial penalty for the late comers.
“We have placed rules and you report late at you own peril,’ a private secondary school headmaster in Garissa town who requested anonymity said.
And despite the complaints of hard economic times, streets in Garissa were teeming with parents doing shopping for her children. Tailors did roaring business. Washington Ouma, a tailor on Ngamia road said that temporarily he has stopped patching clothes and only concentrates on customers’ orders for new uniforms.
“I normally charge Sh500 per uniform, and on a good day I can supply seven to ten uniforms,” noted Ouma who wondered why the parents have to rush the last minute to get uniform for their children.
He predicted that the rush for uniform will go on till mid-August.
According to head teacher of Hagarjerer primary school Ahmed Khere some students, went missing from school from March when the drought began to bite.
“ Ever since that time they haven’t been to school, as to whether they will ever report back is the six million dollar question, ’’ Khere noted, adding that the schools are yet receive School Feeding Programme (SFP).
Al Hajji Ibrahim Mohamed, a teacher at Jaribu noted that the subject content of CBC is yet to be in grasped by most teachers.
“ That being the case, it doesn’t augur well for learners to report to school late for whatever reason, as that is bound to reflect negatively on their results,’’ added Mohamed.
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