`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Monday, January 5, 2015

PROSPERITY UNDER UMNO? Malaysians forced to eat less meat to pay for kids' school expenses

PROSPERITY UNDER UMNO? M'sians forced to eat less meat to pay for kids' school expenses
To cope with the ever increasing cost to outfit their kids for the new school term, low-income families are resorting to eating less meat, sewing their own uniforms and relying on zakat.
Households that earn less than RM3,000 a month are having an especially trying time as their incomes have shrunk compared with last year due to higher inflation.
Since they have had to spend more every month, they have not been able to save as much money to pay for the uniforms, shoes and stationery ahead of the new school year.
As they also have to fork out money again this month to pay for school fees, there are questions as to whether they will have enough savings to deal with another round of price hikes once the Goods and Services Tax starts in April.
The increasing number of people asking for help to pay for these expenses has prompted MP Charles Santiago, whose constituency has a large population of working-class families, to call on the government to control the prices of uniforms.
But umbrella consumer group, the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) argued that it would be better to look into policies to reduce the monthly expenses of the working class as a whole rather than more price controls.
Who says school is free?
The Malaysian Insider interviewed four families in Klang, Shah Alam and Ampang to get an idea on how much they spent to buy uniforms, shoes, stationery and bags for their primary and secondary schoolgoing children.
On top of clothes, families expected to fork out more money before school started on school exercise books, badges and sports shirts.
Then there are various school fees such as for the Parent-Teacher Association, library, computer lab, sports and uniform groups. Some schools even charge a toilet-cleaning fee.
Usually, families with secondary school children have to pay the most. But some primary schools can also charge higher fees than many secondary schools.
At the high end of the scale is Sangkaran Ponyasathu of Pandamaran, Klang, Selangor, who has so far spent RM500 on school supplies for both his son, who is starting Form Five this year, and daughter, who is entering Form Three.
On top of that, Sangkaran, a security guard, expects to pay about RM150 in school fees for both of his children this year.
Then there is Set Kwai Foong of Kampung Baru Ampang, also in Selangor, who has spent RM300 on each of her two daughters, one who will start in Primary 2 and the other in Primary 5.
For her Form 1 daughter, Set, who works in a bank, has so far spent RM276.
“But this does not include school fees,” she said.
Roslan Abu Bakar has three daughters in secondary school, in Form Five, Form Three and Form One respectively.
But the factory worker in Shah Alam, Selangor's capital, has been able to save money on uniforms by buying cloth which his wife sews into baju kurung and tudung for them.
Ten metres of cloth for the baju kurung and five metres of tudung material for his daughters have cost him RM69.30.
But he still worries about the RM150 for each child that he has to pay in school fees and exercise books this month.
Ahmad Imran, who also lives in Pandamaran, has spent the least as his two daughters are in primary school, while one is starting pre-school.
The mosque caretaker has received RM340 in aid from the Selangor Zakat Board (Muslim tithes) to fund the expenses of his two daughters, one in Primary Four and the other in Primary Two.
Burst budgets
All of those interviewed saved what little they could every month throughout the year to pay for their children's school expenses.
Set, for instance, can only spend RM300 a month on lunch and breakfast at work in order to save up for the end of the year.
Sangkaran’s and Roslan’s families eat less meat each week, while Ahmad Imran makes RM10 stretch for two days of meals for his family.
Set’s nett income is RM2,500 a month, Roslan’s is RM2,400, Sangkaran RM1,500 while Ahmad Imran takes home only RM1,000 a month.
But as prices of electricity and food went up last year, most of them admitted they could not keep to a strict budget and ended up not saving enough for the year-end expenses.
In February 2014, cost of living as measured in the consumer price index went up to 3.5%. This was due to subsidy cuts for petrol, diesel and sugar in 2013.
Electricity tariffs also went up by an average 15% in January last year. The rise mostly affected businesses and industries.
A July 17 2014 Bernama report quoting Alliance Research said that growth in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) at 3.3% in June last year was due to the expansion in the food and non-alcoholic beverages sector.
The report said the sector grew at a faster pace of 3.5% in June compared with 3.3% the previous month.
“My budget was really blown. I had to save to pay for all these expenses at the end of last year but I wasn’t able to,” said Sangkaran when met at his flat in Pandamaran.
Roslan could save enough to buy the cloth for three pairs of uniforms but only had enough left over for shoes for one daughter.
“I really could not save up much last year. So I’ll use the bonus from my company for these other expenses.
“I’m very lucky my wife can sew the baju kurung for my kids,” said Roslan.
If there isn’t a bonus, Roslan said he would just have to work more overtime shifts or take on more jobs moving furniture with his friend.
Without the zakat money, Ahmad Imran does not know how he would afford to outfit his kids for school.
Besides the RM340 voucher which is used for uniforms and shoes, the Zakat board also gives him RM700 in cash for school books, fees and stationery.
Demand for aid up every year
Although there exists various types of aid for low-income families both at the federal and state level, it is never enough to cover everyone.
The demand for this aid increases and outstrips supply every year, said Santiago, the Klang MP.
His office raises money every year from private donors to provide aid for school uniforms and shoes for about 100 students.
The Selangor Pekanwanis programme, which also goes through his office, provides RM100 for single mothers to help with school supplies.
Due to the limited amount of funds available, Santiago’s policy is not to give aid to the same family twice.
“We do not want to be accused of benefitting friends, families or acquaintances. We feel that as many people should benefit,” Santiago said.
The government, he said, should step in either to control prices of goods or to ensure schools do not charge unreasonable fees.
“For instance, there should be no such thing as library fees because libraries should already be part of a school.”
Fomca secretary-general Datuk Paul Selvaraj, however, argues that price controls are short-term measures.
“What the government should do is have a holistic strategy where the low-income group can enjoy a basic standard of living.”
When public transport and health care are affordable and dependable and school fees are kept to a minimum, working-class families will be able to spend more on uniforms, shoes and pencils, said Selvaraj.
“Instead of targeting products, it would be better to target groups and craft policies to suit their needs.” – TMI

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.