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 commence 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 obstacles, 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 GHcent;15 a few months back, was now selling at GHcent;18, while a pack of toilet roll which used to sell at GHcent;35 was now selling at GHcent;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 challenging to buy.graphiconline