The demand for educational materials in the Central Business District of Accra has risen, as parents, schoolchildren and guardians troop there to secure items in preparation for school next week.
Items that are high in patronage are school bags, lunch boxes, pens, pencils, books, uniforms, and other educational materials.
While some private basic schools have already reopened, the public schools, together with the remaining private establishments, are expected to be in school from Tuesday, January 10, this year.
Whereas there are many trunks, chop boxes, and mattresses on display, their demand is yet to pick up because second-cycle schools are yet to reopen, particularly, for freshers.
Survey
However, the Daily Graphic team that conducted the market survey observed that the prices of items were as they were before the Christmas break.
The cost of educational items such as a pack of pencils, which used to sell at GH¢10 with the least price being GH¢12, is now selling at GH¢15.
The price of exercise books, which used to be GH¢2 is now going for GH¢5, while a regular notebook which used to sell for GH¢15 is now GH¢18, minimum.
The cost of a Teacher’s Notebook has now moved from GH¢25 to about GH¢70.
All the stationery, materials, and provisions dealers said patronage was good, considering that the country just marked Christmas with its attendant high expenditure.
A pack of three pairs of socks which used to sell at GH¢5 is now selling at GH¢10.
Shoes hover around GH¢90 and above, depending on their quality and sizes.
Sampled views
A customer, who gave his name as Walter ,said the school uniform he wanted to buy for his ward was expensive and wondered how many parents could afford it.
A parent, Araba Arthur, muttered about the cost of uniform per yard which was previously GH¢35 but was currently going for GH¢75.
“There’s nothing we can do now but to cut down on the number of items we intend to purchase in order to buy the uniforms whose prices are fixed, “she said.
A school uniform seller, Tanko, said: ”Sales are a bit encouraging as customers troop in and out to buy from my shop”.
Others
A shoe seller, Esther Asare, said last year’s sales were better than this year’s, including the past festive season. “Some customers wish to buy many of such items but are compelled to make a choice due to their high prices,“ she said.
READ: All WASSCE 2023 Candidates Should Read This Before Tomorrow
According to her, the appreciation of the cedi against the dollar did not have any positive effect on her sales, she added.
A book shop owner, Anaefi Daniel, told the Daily Graphic that “by God’s grace business is booming as you can see”
Source: GraphicOnline.com.gh
The Ghana Education News Editorial Team is a specialized collective of education researchers, journalists, and policy analysts dedicated to providing high-fidelity reporting on the Ghanaian academic landscape. Serving as a primary bridge between governing bodies—including the Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC—and the public, the team leverages over a decade of combined experience to serve students, parents, and educators nationwide.
Lead Architect & Editor-in-Chief
The team is led by Wisdom Kojo Eli Hammond, a distinguished Ghanaian Edu-Tech Entrepreneur, AI Solutions Developer, and Product Architect with over 25 years of cross-disciplinary experience in education, finance, and digital media. Wisdom is the visionary force behind SkulManager, Ghana’s premier school management ecosystem, and the Lead Consultant at Education-News Consult.
A self-taught innovator, professional Web Designer, and regular columnist on GhanaWeb, Wisdom engineered SkulManager.com as the only platform strictly tailored to the GES Curriculum. His technical leadership has redefined educational assessment through a Hybrid Marking Ecosystem, pioneering the BECE and WASSCE Home Mock services—a unique fusion of WAEC-trained human examiners and advanced AI marking engines operational since 2022.
Wisdom’s 360-degree view of institutional challenges is grounded in his tenure as College President and Lecturer at Pinnacle College (Achimota), as well as his background as a school administrator and accountant. He is a dedicated lifelong learner currently advancing his studies at the Accra Institute of Technology (AIT), with academic ties to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
An accomplished author, his works include Returnees of the Dead Forest (UK Published), Simplified Beacon of Light (850+ Q&A), and The Leader in Me. A foundational pillar of the award-winning NGO Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Wisdom is committed to building intelligent systems that solve societal problems and prepare the next generation of Ghanaian students for a digital future.
Contact: 0550360658 | Portals: GhanaEducation.org, GhanaEducationNews.org, SkulManager.com, BECEPrep.com. Educationnewsconsult.com etc