As prices of school bags soar: Parents now go for locally made backpack

Everyday in Nigeria comes with disturbing news of an increase in goods and services.

The worst is that most of these goods and services are essential needed for everyday life sustenance.

For instance, prices of children’s school bags have now hit the rooftop. Parents can hardly afford a quality backpack for their children to carry books, food and water to school.

A normal school backpack, which used to cost less than N5,000, has now jumped to about N35,000 or more.

Combining this cost with the rising school fees is definitely a painful combo for any parent.

But, like the saying goes: ‘necessity is the mother of invention’, Parents are now left with no choices than to find a cheaper alternative.

Fortunately, there are locally made bags, which may not appear sophisticated but, as long as it is affordable and can contain the contents they’re meant for, parents appear to have resorted to them.

Some parents, who spoke to Economy&Lifestyle confessed to having actually resorted to sewing school bags which, according to them, is way cheaper than the foreign ones.

Mrs. Florence Jegede, a fashion designer, explained that she buys school bag almost every term for her 13 years old son, who is in Junior Secondary School, JSS.

“Every term, I buy a school bag for my son, who is in JSS. His father always complains of his rough nature, which is normal for most children of his age.

This term, I decided to buy a brand new school bag and I was told to bring N35,000. I froze on the spot, with my mouth agape.
“The woman was telling me that was the lowest price of a school bag she has.

So, I went for the fairly used ones and was told to bring N20,000.

I was so angry. As I left the market that day I came across a woman hanging school bags she made.

“She told me she would collect N12,000 for a school bag. We bargained and ended up at N10,000.

“I quickly called a friend who was also complaining of school bag costs and she keyed into it.
“Sending a child to school now is a very expensive investment.

Many parents are not sending their kids to secondary school now. They just fix them where they can learn a trade.”
Mr. Moses Agba, a male footwear seller, said: “It is not funny anymore. Sending a child to school, even public ones, is very, very expensive.

“From the uniform to books, you have to change everything every term, especially if such a child is very playful.
“I spend over N150,000 on my two children’s school expenses every term. These include bags, shoes and other things. School fees and books are exempted.

“My wife always complains of the increasing cost of these things every term.

“Recently, she bought Nigerian hand made school bags for my children and it was very unique.
“I had to patronise the woman who made them too.

“It saved us a lot. If we have good locally made products why seek for imported ones?
“It is high time we embraced ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods.”

Mrs. Loveth Oworu, a civil servant, said she had longed to embrace made in Nigeria bags especially for her children.
“I have long stopped buying these imported school and hand bags for myself and my children.

“The cost of one of these imported bags can buy me three Nigerian made school bags. The quality of these bags have also reduced because importers are trying to meet up with our purchasing power.

“Many women are patronizing made in Nigeria school and work bags.

“Education in Nigeria today is no longer free. Gone are the days when you are given free note books, text books, uniforms and so on in public schools.

“Sending a child to school now is very expensive. Most parents who have very low income could afford sending their children to school in the 80s and 90s.

Now there is nothing as such.

“Many are still struggling to feed and pay rent before thinking of even enrolling a child in a school or trade.
“It’s not easy.”

Mr. Stephen Obiora, a school and work bag seller, explained that the cost of importation and logistics are the major cause of the increase in school bags.

He added: “Few years back, you could get a school bag for as low as N2,000.

“But today the smallest one to five years old school bag is N25,000.

Such bags in fairly use condition are sold for N5,000 to N10,000 which you could get for as low as N500 to N1,000 then.
“The exchange rate, high cost of importation and logistics are the major reasons for the price increase.
“Others are rent, electricity bills and so on.

“Also, there are some school bags that are in high demand (used by working adults and children) but supply is low because of the high cost of importation especially when the seller is importing small quantities.
“So some traders inflate the price to be able to meet up with the next importation cost.”