PALMA
PARENTS here in the Balearics are having to spend an average of 825 euros per child to get them ready to go back to school.
Books, stationery, clothes, food, equipment and transport all mount up and, according to the Independent Consumer Association, parents can expect to pay around 783 on their children going to secondary school and 1.164 euros if their children are attending a private school.
According to parents in the Balearics, the most expensive part of the back to school operation is clothing, especially for those whose children have to wear uniforms.
That said, text books are becoming increasingly expensive and this summer, a number of parent associations across Spain have devised ways of reducing the costs of books and also their weight following a series of reports warning parents about the risks children's backs face by having to haul heavy rucksacks about.
In some parts of the country, text book recycling depots have been set up where, providing the text books are kept in good conditions, they get passed on from one year to the next.
What is more, school transport costs have risen over the summer because of the increases in the cost of fuel.
The Independent Consumer Association yesterday said that the report provides fresh reasons why text books should be free for students during their compulsory education years - through primary and secondary school. The so-called free book system in regions such as Madrid does not apply to all parents and the association has called on the government and regional governments to study new ways in which they can help ease the burden on parents.
The association also advised parents against taking out quick and easy loans.
A spokesperson for the association said that with careful planning at the start of the summer, parents should be looking to financially plan the start of the new school year in early July and August, make the most of the summer sales for example, so they do not get caught with large bills in the mad rush at the begining of September.