Parents have to dig deeper into their pockets as schools reopen on Thursday, August 18, even as a report by the World Remit ranks Kenya among the most expensive countries for parents.
Titled 'The 2022 Cost of School study', the study indicated that most Kenyan households will have to spend more than their monthly income to get school-going children settled.
The report revealed that Kenya is among the countries affected by the spiking global inflation, which pushed the cost of sending children to learning institutions to 1.75 times the average income a Kenyan household makes in a month.
"In Kenya, families will pay more than 1.75 times their household monthly income on school supplies," the report read in part.
According to latest available statistics by Trading Economics, the average household income was pegged at Ksh21,500 per month in 2022, a drop from Ksh21,828 per month in 2018.
The report also showed that inflation, mostly caused by the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, had affected the cost of living across the world including the first world countries.
Mentioned in the report are the United States of America with an average of Ksh497,000 household income catering to two school-going children among other needs.
"Across all 10 countries observed in both 2021 and 2022 studies, the dramatic increase of specific school items illustrates how inflation is hitting home on schooling costs and impacting families across the world, depending on how many items they needed to buy for this upcoming year," read the statement in part.
In Africa, Zimbabwe showed the highest costs relative to average family size and monthly income at nearly 700% of the average family household income.
"Other countries, including Morocco, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya and Guatemala all can expect to pay more than 100% of their monthly household income on school supplies this season," the statement added in part.
School reopened Thursday, August 18, after a two-week break occasioned by August 9 elections, with education CS Prof George Magoha assuring parents that the government will not disrupt the school calendar even in the event of a run-off.
KCPE exam will be written from November 28 to December 1, while KCSE was scheduled for December 1 to December 23.
The marking process will be conducted from January 2, 2023, to January 20, 2023.
