Schools reopening: Expat parents feel heat

Many expatriate parents in the Kingdom are feeling the heat as schools are set to reopen in another few days. They say the prices of school uniforms, stationery, and accessories have gone up, adding to their financial burden. Speaking to Tribune, a mother who has a school-going child, said on grounds of anonymity: “This is the toughest time of the year for any middle-class expatriate parent as their children return to schools after completing the summer vacation.

“It’s now the shopping period and our wallets are emptying quickly. This adds to family budgetary pressure, already worsened by high airfares during this part of the year,” she said. It is learned that books, other than Arabic ones, and students’ accessories are subjected to Value Added Tax (VAT), which was introduced during the beginning of the current year. However, offering a respite to the parents is the fact that textbook prices haven’t increased in the past few years.

“This is one big relief. The Education Ministry is doing a great job by keeping a check on the year-to-year increase in the price of textbooks,” another parent said. Meanwhile, the leading hypermarkets and supermarkets are expecting a huge turn out from their back to school offers while they have made enough arrangements to showcase the latest trends in school products. Hypermarkets have given ample space for showcasing the school products in their outlets.

The products include school bags, water bottles, tiffin boxes, books and stationaries, shoes, uniforms, etc. Many traders also expressed their concern about the general financial troubles among expatriates due to the fee hike in electricity and water bills.