Kota Kinabalu: With schools set to reopen today (Monday), parents have been busy equipping their young charges for the 2025 academic session.
What this means is getting the necessary school supplies such as uniforms, school bags, shoes and additional learning materials all of which can amount to about RM200 per child.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});This excludes transport needed to send and fetch them from school if they are unable to do so. There are suggestions for the Government to set up Kedai Sekolah Rakyat to obtain school supplies at subsidised prices of coupons.
Rizal Abdul Hassan from Kg Kunak Kecil said he spent around RM400 for his two children who would be attending primary three and preschool (kindergarten). “Compared to last year, I only spent about RM200 for one child,” said the school canteen operator. But for some, it could be more.
SPONSORED CONTENT How Spritzer’s silica rich natural mineral water makes your skin healthier When it comes to skincare, the first thought on our minds would be beauty products such as serums, creams, and masks. However, beauty experts and even researchers have stated that drinking more water can be just as crucial for your skin's health. Read more Nasirah TJiko, 36, who lives in a PPR home for the poor in Sri Pangkalan had to cough out RM300 for her daughter in Year Three.
“For my child entering Year One, the expenses amounted to RM400, covering school supplies and uniform. This includes the fee for initial admission to secondary school,” Another of her children is starting preschool (kindergarten) this year with a cost of about RM300.
Advertisement“The total expenditure for the new school session for my three children exceeds RM1,000,” said the housewife whose husband is a businessman.
Jeries Jefri, 37, a housewife from Kg Simpang Empat with three children RM500 for her daughter, who is in Year Five this year.
Advertisement“This includes the purchase of school shoes, sports shoes, clothing and other supplies, including a calculator,” she said. For her other two children—one in Year One and one in Year Five—the overall expenditure is around RM1,000.
“On average, the total cost comes to about RM1,500. Compared to last year, when the school expenses for my three children were around RM1,000,” said Jeries. Her side income from a home-based cake business eased the financial burden.
“We need to manage our budgets carefully. It’s difficult because prices have risen significantly. We just need to be prudent with our spending and cut down on eating out,” she said.
In Keningau, a mother of three aged between six and 16, Jessy Jolius, 41, said they are feeling the significant increase in expenses. “Previously, the estimated expenses for one child attending school was only RM150. But now it is RM200. Even the school bags are expensive,” she said.
She pointed out that expenses for a student just entering Form 1 are quite high because many items need to be prepared.
Feidia Antonius, 42, agreed that expenses for school supplies have increased and exceed the RM150 provided as back-to-school aid. They have five children still in school, three in secondary and two in primary.
She said in the past, the total back-to-school expenses amounted to about RM500. But now, it has doubled. “Our family has taken steps to be more economical and only purchase what is absolutely necessary. If school uniforms are still wearable, we encourage our children to continue using them,”
Paul Sitampat, who has two children in secondary said he has no other choice but to meet the expenses. It is, undoubtedly, a burden for parents who are less financially capable” he said.
In Lahad Datu, Muhammad Ansri Raydien, 43, said the situation is definitely burdening parents.
Fortunately, he received the Bantuan Awal Persekolahan (BAP) which helped him to defray the costs. “Before buying supplies, me and my two children checked those from last year that can be recycled.
“I also bought the items in stages according to priority to avoid any waste,” he said, while proposing to the government to control the price increase of school supplies to ease the people’s burden.
For Norhafizah Salwati, this year’s preparation is more challenging because the opening of the school coincides with the upcoming Ramadan.
As a parent, she needs to ensure all the expenses are made prudently. “It is challenging for me with two children going to school this year, but I believe it will be more challenging for other parents with more children as their expenses will soar.
“The government should do something like providing subsidy or vouchers for school supplies to families that have more than one child in school,” she said.
To Salfiah Jainor, preparations for her five children had to be made so that they can learn comfortably. She only bought what her children needed.
“I also make price comparisons between shops to ensure I get the lowest price. “Part of the expenses to buy the school supplies are using the BAP, but I think it will be better if the government can increase the assistance to ease the people’s burden,” she said.
Jumrah Mursalim said, fixing the budget and making a checklist should be done to ensure no wastage when buying school supplies. She said, the BAP provided by the Government helped to cover some of the costs.
“The price hike burdens parents. However, every parent wants the best for their children and strive for that,” she said and suggested the Government set up ‘Kedai Sekolah Rakyat’ for selling school supplies at lower price or providing subsidy for the most needed school supplies,” she added.
Tessa Chin, 32, a self-employed from Penampang, said the budget for two children this year was RM1,000, which was double that last year. “This year, we will reuse the bags and shoes from last year as they are still in good condition, but we have to buy new uniforms and stationery,” she said.
She expressed disappointment at not being aware of the Madani Rahmah Sales (PJRM) “Back to School” 2025 programme, implemented nationwide by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN).
“If I had known about it, it could have helped ease the burden,” she said. For Esther, 46, a housewife from Penampang, the challenges were greater. “I have four children, so my budget this year exceeded RM2,000 with the prices of everything going up, including school fees,” she said.
She said while it is helpful to reuse items where possible, many things simply wear out over time. “If the clothes are still good, my younger children can wear their older siblings’ clothes. But once things are too worn out, we have no choice but to buy new ones,” she said.
Wira, 37, a police officer from Kota Belud, also faced the same dilemma. For her child starting school for the first time, there was no option to reuse old items.
“I had to buy everything new, and it cost me about RM1,000 for the basics,” she said. Rena, 41, Clerk from Putatan, echoed similar concerns about the price hikes. “For one child, I spent around RM200 just on clothes, it will be around RM250 to RM300 if books and stationery included. It is definitely more expensive than last year,” she shared.
For Julie, 50, from Penampang, a Branch Manager, her budget was RM200 to RM300 this year. “Last year, the children usually wore sportswear to school, so we did not need to buy new uniforms because we could reuse everything,” she said.
The PJRM ‘Back to School’ 2025 programme, offering discounts ranging from 10 to 30 per cent on school supplies, was seen as a potential lifeline for many parents struggling with the rising costs.
However some parents either missed the opportunity or were completely unaware of the programme.
