DTI Monitors Private Schools' Supplies To PriceWatch
As early as first week of May, DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) are monitoring the prices of school supplies for the coming new school year 2009-2010. Although prices of school supplies have increased a little, other parents tend to buy cheap supplies and depriving their children of quality school supplies such as crayon, erasers etc.
This is indeed the result of the global crisis affecting filipinos. Some parents prefer to buy school supplies to known bookstores while others prefer to buy in Divisoria, Binondo and other wholesalers where they can have the supplies cheaper and they can also make “tawad“.
My children are enrolled in private schools, the school is selling customized notebooks, school logo printed in the cover page w/ plastic cover. Although its not mandatory, my children prefer to used them so their notebooks are the same with their classmates. A normal notebooks in a known bookstore costs around Php 12-18, the school’s notebook cost Php 45 (school price last year). The price is doubled and the paper doesn’t have the quality of top-of-the-line notebooks. The difference of Php 27 max could be my savings per notebook, multiply it by 20, that’s roughly Php 540 savings for the notebooks only. I could use the savings for other school supplies and books. I’m just giving you the idea of the notebooks only, there are other school materials which are also expensive compared to bookstores.
What I did from the past was to buy notebooks from school, other supplies needed were bought from wholesalers. After all, school is giving out checklist for school materials needed for the school year. I guess, I’ll be doing this again.
The bottom line… DTI should also monitor the prices of school supplies from private schools. Parents and students from private schools should also be protected from “school business”. Does DepEd (Department of Education) knows anything about schools’ other business? I tried googling around if there is such law on this issue but to no avail.
I maybe one of other parents from other schools that also thinks the same way. Regardless that my children are in private school, we are also affected by global crisis. Its about time to do something. The title speaks for itself… or it is under DepEd’s jurisdiction?
Related posts:
