-  Published: Friday, February 7, 2020-




By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The public education classes will begin next Monday, and the Ministry of Education reports it is working to avoid any inconveniences.

Since January the ministry has released the official list of supplies and uniforms required for each level of preschool, primary school and high school.

Each school director has been responsible for delivering to the parents or guardians the information corresponding to the level of study of the students. Same information was published on the ministry's website.

The ministry recommends that parents make sure that they bought the official uniforms and not make any modifications in its design. The information on the uniforms has also been published on the ministry's website.

According to the ministry, approximately 950,000 students starts lessons at public schools, of whom more than 124,000 will attend preschool. More than 445,000 are registered at primary schools, and more than 320,000 are in high schools.

Also there are more than 15,000 children who will receive special education for having some type of limitation.


The start of school usually is accompanied by complaints by parents over the costs of items they have to purchase for their youngsters. Some low-income parents actually keep children from school because they cannot afford to purchase the mandatory items.

School uniforms and supplies have huge price variations for similar items in different stores, according to a study carried out by the Ministry of Economy in advance of the start of this public school year.

According to the ministry, the study collected the list of prices and products between Jan. 7 and 10 in 32 stores located in San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago.

The study included 732 prices for supplies and 344 for uniforms, said the ministry.

For a price comparison, two classifications were taken into account. The first category are identical items of the same brand and quality. The second category includes similar articles with common characteristics but different brands.

In the study of uniforms, prices of socks, shirts, blouses, pants, skirts and shoes were compared.

An example of the price difference is the case of men's school pants with the same size and similar type of fabric, but different brands. In the Rosabal chain of stores, the School Life brand pants are priced at about $3.55. Similar pants, from the Vins brand in the La Gloria chain of stores, cost about $26.45.

According to the study, one pair of pants is nearly seven and a half times more expensive than the other.

In the case of school supplies, the study included the list provided by the Ministry of Public Education, which includes pens, erasers, backpacks, notebooks, pencils, among others.

According to the ministry, identical products, type and brand, registered 124% more expensive from one store to the other.

For example, a box of 12 graphite pencils, type HB#2, of the Bic brand in the Yustin store chain costs $2.12. The same product of the same brand in the Muñoz and Nanne store costs $4.76.

According to the study, the same pencil box cost more than twice as much in one story than in another.

According to the study, the average price of obligatory school supplies is about $113 for boys and $104 for girls. This takes into account the list of the education ministry without including the cost of textbooks and other expenses that may vary depending on the school, said the economics ministry in its statement.

Following the provisions of the regulations, the label of the uniforms must include the trademark, composition of the textile material, size or sizes, care instructions, country of origin and data of the manufacturer, importer or distributor.

Additionally, the regulation includes the following mandatory requirements in the case of shoes label:  Footwear size, country of origin and data of the manufacturer, importer or distributor.

According to the study, 79% of the uniforms in the stores do comply with the labeling.

It is recommended to compare prices and quality of scholar supplies and uniforms before buying, the ministry said.

Readers can see the price list of uniforms and school supplies at the ministry web page.


 
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