IT: Parents browse through stationery items at a shop in Kuwait as the schools reopened yesterday after a long summer and Eid holidays. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The 2016-2017 academic year began yesterday for both private and public schools in Kuwait. Some schools opened two weeks earlier, but many opted to wait until the long Eid holidays were over. As a result, many students and parents enjoyed an extended vacation. However, on return, they were surprised by the increase in gasoline and transportation expenses, hitting their already depleted pockets.

The government increased prices of gasoline by up to 80 percent from Sept 1 as part of economic reforms aimed at countering falling oil revenues. "I was informed transportation fees will increase from KD 40 to KD 45 per month," an expat parent told Kuwait Times, whose two children are studying in a school in Jleeb. "I am still in shock because I was on vacation when the increase took place. I knew about the price hike, but I had no idea of its costs, especially on my daily expenses. It's not that expensive, but I could have used the money for other expenses," said the parent.

A private car owner who uses his car to transport students to a private school in Kuwait for extra income was irked. "The impact on our pockets is really huge! I used to fill up my car for KD 2.5, but now KD 4 is needed, so it's almost double," he fumed. "Some parents do not understand this. They argue public transport fares haven't increased, so why have we done so. We increased our charges because we immediately felt the impact, while public transport is still subsidized," he claimed.

"Thank God there is no increase in tuition fees until now, but given the impact of the petrol prices, I will not be surprised if they do it," another parent said. The Ministry of Education has issued a ministerial decree stipulating conditions for increasing private school fees by five percent annually depending on the category of the school.

Parents have also complained of increases in the prices of school supplies, although some retailers haven't done so. "I have noticed changes in prices, as notebooks that used to cost KD 1 now cost KD 1.250," a parent told Kuwait Times at a stationery shop in Kuwait City. "We can save money if we go to supermarkets that offer discounted prices, as there are many. If there are shops offering discounts, we have to grab the opportunity," said a teacher whose children are studying in an Arabic school.

By Ben Garcia