Where parents are opting for barter trade to afford Form One school needs

Hit by hard economic times, parents with prospective Form Ones are now doing some barter trade with neighbours and other residents in order to meet school needs.

In some cases, such parents have decided to exchange different goods such as books, iron boxes, mattresses and other items left behind by their children who had completed school earlier in order to meet the expected demands.

The prices of various items required by students admitted to join Form One in various secondary schools have shot up forcing parents to devise various methods to minimize spending amid growing economic difficulties.

Prices of mandatory items such as Bibles, dictionaries, mathematical sets, mattresses, atlases, uniforms and black leather shoes among others have shot up as some schools demand certain brands of shoes and other items.

In Kiamuringa areas in Embu County for instance, parents have eventually formed a group through which they exchange information on who has what  from students who completed their Form Four and the initiative has been a game-changer in addressing the cash crunch.

The group agreed that the boxes should be donated and where it is not possible, a small compensation could be provided to the donating students or parents.  John Muturi who initiated the project, however confessed that while this was a huge success, it came too late to benefit all the needy parents.

‘’I know the project is noble and innovative but it will not have major benefits to the current Form Ones, perhaps next year and beyond the fruits will be more because we intend to salvage various books and start a book bidding project’’, said Muturi.

According to Muturi, some of the old items including books are refurbished and other items painted to give them a fresh look before being handed over to fresh boarding Form One students.

Volunteers have also been quietly donating new Bibles and dictionaries to various Form Ones to encourage the learners especially in families faced with financial constraints. A Embu-based journalist recently donated three dictionaries to three learners and refused to be named saying he did not do it for publicity.

‘’When I was young, my mother used to buy me a Newspaper to encourage me to know how to read and write and the dictionaries are just a small token which I hope will interest the prospective Form One students to learn English language and improve their vocabulary’’, said the journalist.

A survey by the Education News in various towns in Embu County revealed that a shortage of leather shoes  was being reported especially from key manufacturers as Bata leading to entry of counterfeit supplies in the markets.

Parents said poor quality shoes mainly plastics flooded the markets in Embu, Siakago, Runyenjes, Kiritiri and Ishiara towns. Parents who are flocking shops in search of other key items such as mattresses and iron boxes said prices have been inflated by between sh300 to sh500 as traders capitalized on the demand of the items.

Mattress which used to sell at Sh2,000 are today selling at Sh2,500 and traders were making a kill as parents continued to cry foul.

– By Robert Nyagah