Preparing for school hitting parents

Maryann Kapinias, 4, mother Joyce, brother Junias, 12, who will be doing grade five this year at Coronation Primary School, Estella, 15, who will be doing grade seven at Coronation Primary School. The children with their parents were doing back-to-school shopping at Tango in Boroko, Port Moresby. – Nationalpic by JOEL HAMARI

BEGINNING of each year is always busy throughout the country for parents and students who do back-to-school shopping.
According to mother Rema Tau, who was doing school shopping for her children, it was an expensive exercise for parents and guardians.
Tau said three of her children where in school so she and her husband had to buy uniforms, shoes, socks and stationery for the children.
She said each year, they spent more than K500 on these items alone, apart from schools fees and other expenses.
Tau said in the past, uniforms where given free by some schools which was good, unlike today where parents had to buy them.
She said it was a yearly routine parents went through every January before the start of the new school year.
By next week, shops will be busy with students and parents.
Some parents and students decided to do early shopping this week to avoid the rush.
Some parents and students were there to check prices and also to get quotations for uniforms, shoes, socks, stationery and clothes so that they could budget to do back-to-school shopping next week.
According to the academic calendar, teachers will resume duties on Jan 25 and classes commence on Feb 1.