Back to school: books and transport weigh on costs

The school kit this year will cost 1.3 percent more per year. To weigh mainly books, especially those for the first classes, and transport. The fear of contagions will push the use of the car. According to Federconsumatori, the costs of technology affect the right to education.
September, as usual, marks the end of the summer holidays and the reopening of the school. Europe is called upon to organize the return to class of millions of students and – as always, with each new school year – this event is characterized by a significant reduction in the pockets of families.
This year, still marked by the effects of the pandemic and by the measures to avoid infections, it is above all the expenses for books and transport that weigh. This is what emerges from research by the National Federconsumatori Observatory (ONF), according to which the costs of the new school year increase on average by 1.3% per year.
€ 547.81 for the new school kit
Overall, the expenditure for school supplies will amount to approximately 547.81 euros, 7.1 euros more than in 2020. An extremely expensive item of expenditure for families, especially in a delicate phase marked by strong economic difficulties such as the current.
To meet the European, in this case, is a credit market that has low rates and loans that also include small loans (of the limited amount and of short duration that can be obtained quickly): the best solution to cover an unexpected event. ‘how to take your child to school in the most optimal condition.
The fear of contagions pushes the use of a private car
In detail, due to Covid and given the delays in the provision of appropriate means of transport to allow children to reach school, according to ONF forecasts, more and more families will choose to use the car to accompany their children. A choice that will involve considerable costs, which have been calculated (assuming a journey between 5 and 10 km, repeated twice a day by car), equal to 330 euros in the case of a petrol vehicle and 302 euros for a diesel. Important figures that are added to those already burdensome for books and school materials.
The dear-books mainly affects the first classes
Books are also critical, where second-hand – when you find it – is an option increasingly used, even if this year the relative expenditure is slightly lower than in 2020. The costs for books of text are always particularly burdensome, putting a strain on household budgets. In 2021, however, on average, € 472.75 per child will be spent on books and two dictionaries, i.e. 1.1% less on a trend basis (calculation made taking into consideration lower secondary schools, high schools, and technical institutes). These costs relate to new books. By buying used books, however, a family can save over 30%.
Expenses are particularly high for pupils in the first grades, although in this case less expensive than in 2021. A sixth-grade student will spend on average 429.30 euros (-3.1%) for textbooks and 2 dictionaries. . To these expenses, € 547.81 must be added for school supplies and spare parts throughout the year, a total of € 977.11. For a first high school student, 668.20 euros (-1.3%) will be spent on textbooks and 4 dictionaries, plus 547.81 euros for school supplies and spare parts, for a total of 1,216.01 euros.
The costs of technology affect the right to education
We must then add the costs for the purchase of a PC, programs, and devices necessary for the educational use of this tool, which has now become essential. The ONF has calculated that a family will spend from 374.97 to 3,952.98 between computers, webcams, microphones, antivirus, basic programs. To this must be added the expense for the internet connection. Such high costs – according to the analysis of Federconsumatori – significantly affect the right to study of children, as sadly happened during the lockdown for those students who do not have a connection or the devices necessary to follow the lessons at a distance.