As every year, the Trade Union Confederation of Families unveiled its report on the estimated cost of the start of the new school year for pupils from primary school to high school. Spending which jumped 6.2% this year.
As the start of the school year approaches, the kids can't wait for the back-to-school shopping. Long awaited by the youngest, this is an opportunity for them to restart the year from zero. But for parents, retooling children is no easy task, especially because of the cost of school supplies. Kit, satchel, calculator, binders, notebooks for all subjects, parents' budgets can quickly explode.
According to a study by the Confédération Syndicale des Familles (CSF) based on the shopping list of 243 households and published on August 18, family expenses related to the start of the school year increased by 6.2% on average. This increase reached 11.4% for students in preparatory course, or 177 euros of average budget, and 12.9% in 6th, or 407 euros.
An exceptional increase
Usually, the cost of going back to school fluctuates between 0% and 1%, but with the current health situation, expenses have jumped. The organization explains this increase by the Covid-19 crisis, which has also accentuated the role of digital in education. According to the testimonies of the parents, they would have more easily "given" to the whims of the children after the complicated period of confinement.
To help low-income households, a back-to-school allowance increased by an additional 100 euros per child was granted. "The most fragile families will have taken the opportunity to buy better quality equipment, and more durable over time", says Charlotte Barre, project manager at the CSF and co-author of the study.
A widening of disparities
The CSF warns of requests deemed excessive from teachers, who sometimes ask parents to build up supplies, as indicated on one of the student lists. Faced with this phenomenon, the organization requests that the choice of supplies be developed in collaboration with parents and recalls that applying the 5.5% VAT reserved for basic products would allow considerable savings.
In addition, the organization points to regional disparities in school spending. Indeed, depending on the territory, the school fees (canteens, books, transport) are more or less covered by the department. In some schools, costs for school materials or digital materials are covered by the school. "It is a form of organization of inequalities that we have denounced for many years", warns Rodrigo Arenas, co-president of the Federation of Parents' Councils (FCPE). " Costs are passed on to families that should be covered by the school. So that children end up depending on"A more benevolent community than another".