"My son is about to start his first year of junior high school. Yesterday, he gave me a list of things he wants for the new semester, and it all adds up to more than 10,000 yuan!" Recently, on a popular parenting discussion board in Nanjing, the hottest topic has been about sharing the costs of going back to school, with some joking that starting school feels like being robbed. Through interviews, it was found that parents really spend a lot of money on school preparations.
[Case]
"My son gave me a 10,000 yuan shopping list"
Ms. Wang's complaint on a popular discussion forum in Nanjing resonated with many parents. "Starting school costs over 10,000 yuan, I'm quite upset about my son's spending habits, but there's nothing I can do. It's not that we can't afford it, but I don't want him to develop bad spending habits. What do you think?" Ms. Wang's son is about to enter his first year of junior high school, and he gave her a list of items he needs: a new smartphone that can access the internet (about 2000 yuan), a watch (must be a sports brand, can be purchased online), a new computer (high configuration for graphic design use), new sports clothes, soccer shoes, backpacks, stationery. "He’s wanted a new phone for half a year. He’s been using an old one from his father which still works fine and originally cost over 2000 yuan, but since it’s not 3G and can't play music, he’s been wanting to replace it; the watches he had in sixth grade are all lost; the backpack is also from sixth grade, and he usually changes every year; as for stationery, we let him buy what he wants if the price isn’t too high."
Kindergarten requires a 699 yuan reading pen
"We accepted the uniform tuition increase, but how come before even one day of class, we have to pay another 699 yuan for a mandatory reading pen?" Ms. Liu's child started kindergarten this year, and yesterday the kindergarten held a meeting for new parents. Ms. Liu went eagerly. "It was my first time attending a parent meeting, and I was excited to get some advice from the teacher on helping my child transition smoothly into school life. But it turned out to be a sales pitch for an expensive reading pen." Ms. Liu told reporters that the kindergarten where her child attends is a chain private bilingual kindergarten, with already relatively high tuition fees of over 1000 yuan per month. However, because it’s close to home, she chose this kindergarten first. "The teacher said that the English curriculum uses textbooks compiled by the principal, and this reading pen is a necessary companion. It’s not available on the market, and will be used throughout the three years of kindergarten." Ms. Liu and many other parents were reluctant, but they thought about it: if all the other children have it during class except their own child, it would hurt their feelings. "The textbook costs 300 yuan, the reading pen 399 yuan. It says it's voluntary, but the teacher clearly stated that it would be used daily in class, so how could we not buy it?" Most of the children in Ms. Liu's class registered to purchase it.
Renting near a prestigious school costs 20,000 yuan a year
"Yesterday, I finally signed the lease agreement, 1800 yuan a month, paid for a year upfront. Although it hurts financially, it's worth it for the child." Mr. Wu, who lives near Jianning Road, has a child starting elementary school this year. To enroll in a prestigious school, Mr. Wu went through great lengths and finally obtained an admission notice last week from a popular primary school in the Hexi area of Gulou District. "I couldn't settle down or focus on anything else until I got the admission notice. The day I received it, I immediately started looking for a rental property." Mr. Wu currently lives in a large, new house, but it's far from his child's school, and even if he drove, it would take a considerable amount of time each day. Therefore, the family decided to rent a place near the school for the six years of elementary school. "Houses near that school are relatively expensive. We rented a well-decorated apartment with only one and a half bedrooms and one living room, costing 1800 yuan per month."
Textbook fees are waived, but additional course fees remain significant
"Isn't elementary school tuition and textbook fees free? Why do we need to buy books again?" Ms. Zhou recently received a text message from the school recommending parents purchase a set of Oxford English textbooks for more than 200 yuan for the first semester. Ms. Zhou told reporters that her child is about to enter third grade and begin formal English studies. But why should she spend extra money when the tuition should include the English textbook? After asking around, she learned that these textbooks are an "extra lesson" provided by the school. According to the teacher, parents are getting a good deal. "The school said that teachers will add Oxford English content based on the original textbook, considering the child's learning needs. With such fierce competition, many children attend tutoring classes outside of school, and the content is basically the same. Providing 'extra lessons' at school actually reduces the burden on parents." Ms. Zhou found out that although the school fee notification states that purchasing is voluntary, in actual teaching, the Oxford textbook is mainly used, leaving parents no choice but to buy it. "In reality, it's a mandatory purchase; otherwise, the child won't be able to follow the English lessons without the textbook. For the sake of the child, we still have to buy it."
[Survey]
Expensive digital stationery fills the backpacks
During interviews, reporters found that besides new textbooks and stationery, various digital products are also filling students' backpacks, gradually becoming essential new stationery. Yesterday, at the second floor of Xinhua Bookstore, various reading machines, tape recorders, and electronic dictionaries were displayed. A salesperson from a certain brand of electronic dictionary said that sales have entered peak season recently, selling more than 20 units per day, mostly bought by freshmen in junior high and senior high school. A bookstore clerk said, "Compared to the same period in previous years, our student computers are more popular this year, with most buyers being middle and primary school students." The current market prices for different models range from 800 to 2000 yuan. Despite the high prices, it hasn't stopped parents from buying enthusiastically. At a mall in Shanxi Road, a salesperson mentioned that mobile phones priced under 2000 yuan are the main purchases, with most students taking advice from their parents when choosing, occasionally someone buys a phone above 3000 yuan, but this mainly depends on economic conditions and parental thoughts.
Expensive electronic stationery troubles head teachers
A junior high school teacher said that they are very troubled by expensive electronic stationery. "Although the school prohibits students from bringing mobile phones, MP3 players, etc., into school, we often find these items in their backpacks or dormitories. Additionally, students stay up late texting or chatting online on their phones, or listen to songs and watch movies on MP3/MP4 players during class." The appearance of these digital stationery items has caused headaches for many head teachers. Moreover, so-called beneficial electronic dictionaries for learning are considered by many middle school English teachers to cultivate bad learning habits of dependency. "Paper-based Oxford and Longman English-Chinese dictionaries not only provide word definitions but also offer many example sentences and word origins, containing a wealth of knowledge. Many electronic dictionaries use unknown versions, providing only basic definitions. For example, in reading comprehension exercises, students need to guess words. If they encounter an unfamiliar word and immediately look it up in an electronic dictionary, they won't remember the definition and it's not conducive to their English learning."
Author: Sun Ming, Liu Ying / Source: Nanjing Morning Post