Students at private schools have said that they are being asked to pay for school supplies despite the high cost of pens, pencils and other needs.

Sales for school supplies are estimated at over SR2 billion. An official, who chose to remain anonymous, said that the sale of school bags comprises a major share of this figure and that there are only two leading firms which have monopolized the school supplies sector in the Kingdom.

Many parents struggle to pay schools fees, let alone school supplies, because of high prices.

Students say that stationery shops tend to increase their prices at the beginning of the academic year when schools re-open to compensate for the low sales for the rest of the year.

Parents are often seen visiting stationery and garment shops that tailor uniforms to buy school supplies such as school bags, shoes, lunch boxes and stationery, besides textbooks and notebooks.

“Teachers do not care about our financial situation. They have asked us to pay for sport shoes and a special sports uniform, while other teachers demand other items. Many parents with financial problems cannot afford to buy all these things,” Ali Fahmi, an Egyptian student at a private school, told Arab News.

Some private schools urge their students to contribute up to SR100 for decorating their classrooms with flowers and instructive charts to promote a learning environment.

Private schools usually contain students who come from financially stable backgrounds, but there remain some families who struggle to pay even school fees. There are also poorer expat students who have been forced to enroll in private schools, as public schools will not accept them.

“I was forced to enroll my sons at a private school, as public schools do not accept expat students. However, private school administrations ignore the poor financial situation of many expat students. There are also some teachers who overlook this category of students and continue to make the usual demands for school supplies,” said Saad Sobhi, a Jordanian resident with two sons enrolled at a private school in Jeddah.