From pen to paper, scale and calculator, the prices of all educational materials, whether they are locally made or imported, are increasing alarmingly everywhere in Bangladesh. Due to an ongoing crisis of paper, books and notebooks have become too costly for many families to buy them. But without those, continuation of education cannot be imagined. In just a span of one year or so, the prices of various learning materials have increased by 50 per cent. This has created an additional pressure on the middle-class families. If this continues, children from lower-class families will drop out from their educational institutions. As these fixed-income groups are now struggling to make both ends meet, the surge of educational materials will make them struggle further.
Education is getting expensive day by day. It is directly affecting our children. Those who have school- and college-going children are spending above their budget to buy them learning materials including paper, book, eraser, sharpener, board, geometry box, pen and pencil among others. To ensure the right to education for all, the authorities concerned should take immediate measures so that poor families can bear the educational expenses for their children. The amount and number of student stipends should also be increased up to the 12th grade. Besides, subsidy should be provided to the paper mills so that they can produce affordable paper.
Ashikujaman Syed,
Research Assistant,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),
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