As schools resume for the 2017/2018 academic session in Rivers State, many parents have expressed concern at the high cost of school materials.
Some parents, who spoke with The Tide,  in Port Harcourt, Wednesday said that school materials had become costlier than tuition fees.
A businessman, Mr Theophilus Amangala, told our correspondent that school fees remained the same from previous session but prices of text books, writing materials, school bags and shoes had gone up beyond the reach of the common man.
According to him, we learnt that Nigeria is out of recession but it is yet to reflect on the cost of living because things are still expensive but maintained that he is tempted to believe that the traders are taking undue advantage of the economic situation to exploit consumers.
Mrs Chioma Amanze of God’s Grace Bookshop, Port Harcourt said: “We are into the business to keep body and soul together, not that there is much gain in the business.
“The publishers are complaining of high cost of materials so they have reduced the quantity they usually publish”.
“Some are not even publishing at all again, as such, some of the books requested for are not available, I have a list of books that parents have been  coming to ask for and I have called the publishers  several times to find out if the books would be available but no response yet”, she stressed.
Mrs Evelyn Peterside, who deals on launch bags said very few parents were buying while most were coming to repair old ones, regretting that the situation had left the traders at cross roads because lots of bags were made with hope that they would be sold.
“The few who bought the bags are even complaining that the quality is poor, which was not intentional”, she said.
Mr Boniface Eke who deal in shoes and stationery attributed the high cost to the current economic recession plaguing the nation, opting that unless government make a U-turn, the masses will be at the receiving end.
“It is only when the President Muhammadu  Buhari-led government does the needful by allowing money be in circulation that people can experience changes in the cost  of living, he emphasised.

Bethel Sam Toby