Parents and students prepare for opening of classes

San Fernando City, La Union (June 4) - A week before the start of classes, parents and students flock to various department stores, clothing stalls, and bookstores around the city to buy school supplies, uniforms and other needed school paraphernalia to prepare for this school year’s first day.

Various schools in the elementary, secondary and tertiary levels have announced to open this coming June 10 and this has been greeted by the typical anticipation and anxiety by parents and students.

Although a number of economic crisis has burdened much of the Filipino family in the past months, the rising costs of rice, fuel and LPG to name a few, many families in La Union still see education as one of their priorities and find ways to produce the needed fees to send their children to school.

Other than tuition fees, students together with their parents has the needed school supplies to think about before being fully ready for the opening of classes.

How much do a typical student need to have all the necessary things he/she need for school?

To try and find this out, we made a checklist of things to buy for a single student each in the elementary, high school and college level and made a quick stroll to the places  people frequently buy their school stuff and we came up with this list of expenses:

For a typical elementary student, the parents would have to buy at least 9 notebooks (which cost 10-27.75 pesos each); a pencil (P6.25),  pad paper (P10.00 for grade 1-3 and P20.00 for intermediate pads); Crayons (P12.00 for 8’s and P24.25 for 24’s); a bag (which cost 149.75 to 499.75); a ruler (P12.00 ) ; scissors (P7.00); eraser (P5.25) and sharpener (P5.00).

A typical elementary student and their parents has to spend around P287.25 to P736.00 to prepare him or her for school excluding school uniforms which are optional for those in public schools.

A high school student has to buy the following school supplies: 10 to 12 notebooks (P12.50-P18.75) a math notebook (P19.25); ball pen (P4.95-6.50) or sign pen ( P27.00); pad paper (P20.00); 1/2 Lengthwise (12.25); 1/2 Crosswise (12.25); 1/4 lengthwise (5.50) and bag (149.75- P499.75).

This would total to 349.15 to P827.50 for every high school student excluding school uniforms which range from the cheapest P25.00 for second-hand blouses and polo shirts to P380.00 for new ones. Skirts and pants are also tagged at P380.00. Prices for shoes also ranges from P550.00 above.

A college student on the other had must have notebooks which vary in numbers according to the number of subjects, courses and personal preference of the student. Most typical first year college student need at least 8 notebooks (P12.50 to P18.75 each). Additionally, he/she has to have a yellow pad paper (P20.00); a ball pen (P4.95-P6.25) or a sign pen (P27.00); and a bag (149.75 to more than a thousand pesos).

Although it varies from one school to another and one course to another, most colleges and universities around San Fernando City require the wearing of compulsory uniforms and oblige additional fees involving books and uniforms. A student of Bachelor of Science in Office Management (BSOM) in Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University-Mid La Union Campus (DMMMSU-MLUC), for example, is required to pay P1,300.00 for books and uniform, meanwhile, a student in Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education (BSSEd) from DMMMSU-South La Union Campus in Agoo, La Union is required to pay 350.00 for their uniform.  Other schools such as Union Christian College require their students P155.00 for the cloth of their uniforms excluding sewing cost which amounts around P250.00. Expenses are much higher for those enrolled at other courses such as nursing which requires additional cost involving various uniforms and other paraphernalia.

All in all, a freshman would have to spend an estimate of at least P1,176.00 to ready himself or herself for school excluding the tuition and other school fees.

Tuition rate in the universities and colleges in La Union ranges from P100.00/unit with additional P1,325.00 miscellaneous fee to P405.25/unit with additional miscellaneous fees which reach up to 20,000 pesos.

With the ongoing hike on the prices of LPG, fare, food prices and not to mention tuition and other school fees, many students are now thinking of ways to cut their expenses.

“Iyong mga lumang notebook nalang uli ang gagamitin ko at scrap papers para sa notes ( I’ll just use my old notebooks and scrap papers for jotting down notes) ”, shared Mhae, a 4^th year HRM student when asked on how she can help out in saving money for this coming school year.

Aside from recycling and reusing old supplies,  many students plan to rent a boarding house near their schools so they could walk their way to school rather than commuting. Others also plan to share baon  for lunch with their classmates to cut their food expenses.   

Others also turn to the popular ukay-ukay stores to find second-hand and cheap clothes they can wear for the new school year. Many others rely on hand-downs from their big brothers and sisters to save money for clothes, books, bags and other school materials. 

Monday (June 9) which is announced by the government to be a national holiday is expected to be flooded by last day buyers.