Ahead of new academic year: Traders switch to educational materials

Most traders in the central business district (CBD) of Accra have switched over to the sale of educational materials about a week to the commencement of the 2024-2025 academic year for first-year senior high school (SHS) students.

The traders, who hitherto traded in non-school items, have moved into the sale of school bags, sandals, mattresses, trunks, uniforms, notebooks and textbooks, among other school supplies.

This came to light when the Daily Graphic visited the CBD in Accra to gauge the sale of educational materials following the release of the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results and the 2024 academic calendar by the Ghana Education Service (GES) last weekend.

Per the calendar, fresh students are to report to school on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

The West African Examinations Council last Saturday released the BECE results for both school and private candidates.

The GES is expected to commence the computer placement exercise in the coming days. 

Interactions

Most traders in the central business district told the Daily Graphic last Tuesday that they had prepared themselves in anticipation of bumper sales, to begin the new school year.

For now, they said, business was slow as demand for stationery and other school supplies was low.

They attributed the situation partly to the country’s current economic challenges, explaining that it could also be because the SHS placements were yet to be done.

It is upon the placement that parents and guardians will get to know the specific items required by their children and wards’ schools, although other items such as mattresses and personal effects were general.

The traders, however, expressed the hope that demand would pick up in the coming days once the placement into schools was done.

Observation

At the Makola Market, attendants at stores and stalls stocked with exercise books, notebooks, pens and general stationery said they had seen little patronage, with a few parents and guardians making enquiries and buying what they could afford.

At Okaishie, the Sales Manager of Ashfoam Depot, David Agblewornu, told the Daily Graphic that demand was not as high as compared to the same period in previous years.

He said business was slow, and that parents were not buying due to the short notice given for the start of the academic year. Students have just about 10 days to report to school on October 30, 2024.

Mr Agblewornu said as of the time the notice came out last weekend, most parents must have exhausted their finances, hence the low demand.

A vendor at Okaishie, Edward Blay, who sells toiletries, also expressed worry about the low turnout of customers.

He said a litre of bleach, which used to sell for GH¢15 a few months back, was now selling at GH¢18, while a pack of toilet roll which used to sell at GH¢35 was now selling at GH¢45.

”Every year around this time, I usually have a steady stream of parents buying toiletries for their children. But this year, it’s very different. People are just not buying, and when they do, it’s much less than before,” Mr Blay said.

He said the economy was tough and parents were trying to manage their finances by delaying purchases or buying only essential items.

The Sales Manager of Big Dee Ventures, Reynolds Agyemang, said the price of school bags kept increasing, and that parents found it difficult to buy.

For instance, he said, the price of a school bag had increased from GH¢70 to GH¢100.

Despite the low demand, he expressed the hope that last-minute shoppers would make up for the sales.

Mr Agyemang said in previous years, many parents had rushed to the markets just days before school reopened to buy the items on the school prospectus. 

Yet to materialise

The situation was no different at Opera Square as many of the traders told the Daily Graphic that there were low sales although the academic year was fast approaching, but they were hopeful that the expected back-to-school rush would occur.

A provisions vendor, Mary Oware, said many of the parents who visited her shop complained about high prices, with many saying they would wait until the school starts before they buy the full list of items.

At the Rawlings Park, a dealer in school shoes, Grace Osei, also told the Daily Graphic that a few parents had started preparing for the start of the academic year with smaller purchases.

“We are only seeing fewer parents shopping with their children. I think many of them are trying to avoid the pressure of spending on unnecessary items,” she said.

Around the Methodist Bookshop, another trader, Salomey Adee, who sells mattresses and trunks, said parents might be waiting for the school placement before they start the purchase.

 “It’s still early, so maybe in the final week before school reopens, we will see more parents coming to buy. But even then, I don’t expect the usual rush because people are simply not spending as much as they used to,” she said.

Another trader, who gave his name only as Kwame, appealed to the government to consider those who manufactured wooden boxes otherwise referred to as “chop box”.

He said the introduction of the plastic container had put the local manufacturers out of business.

He further said the wooden chop box was more durable and safer for food storage than the plastic container.

Another vendor, Micheal Nimako, popularly known as Wofa Yaw, said most parents only made enquiries about the prices of items and left.

“This is worrying because most (of them) come to the market with a budget, and when they cannot afford the items, they leave,” he said.