The students of the preparatory period for the start of the new school year considered "a season for financial depletion," pointing to the exaggerated rise in the prices of school bags, stationery and uniforms, which is a new burden on them, especially if there are more than one student in the same family.

A field tour carried out by Emirates Today, which included shops, outlets, cooperatives and libraries, showed a wide variation in the numbers on the school bag price tags, starting from AED 30 and rising to over AED 600.

The tour showed a variety of bags with discounts of up to 60%, and a lesser ranged between 20% and 30%, as well as outlets, shops and libraries of different forms of bags less than 100 dirhams, mostly small and medium-sized, carrying backpacks.

She revealed that the majority of school bags are imported from China, and a small percentage of them are imported from India, Italy and the United States, while one shop in Abu Dhabi offered local production of bags.

It was noteworthy that the famous Western cartoon characters dominated the bags of the young in various outlets and shops, while the markets were free of bags that reflect the heritage of the UAE, or decorated with local cartoon characters.

For its part, the Ministry of Economy said that the Department of Competition and Consumer Protection intends to carry out inspection campaigns on shopping centers and libraries to monitor the prices of school bags and stationery materials before the beginning of the new school year, calling on families to activate the «consumer observer», which aims to activate the role of the consumer in participating in censorship Monitor market variables and report any suspected irregularities about commodity prices at outlets.

Students said the cost of school supplies, including uniforms, stationery and bags, was high, citing financial stress.

They called on the Ministry of Economy and the concerned authorities to intensify their supervisory role on the goods associated with the start of the new school year, stressing that school supplies put on them a huge financial burden.

Hala Hossam, the mother of two students, said: “The prices of school supplies are excessively high, especially bags. They range from AED 500 to AED 1,000 per student by school and grade, and stationery with an average price of AED 300. ”

She added that «some commercial markets offer lower quality bags, prices less than 150 dirhams, but they are damaged a few months after the use, which forced the father of the student to buy another bag for his son, to complete the school year».

A father of three students, Ahmed Abdullah, said that “the high prices of bags and stationery represent a financial drain on the families of students, especially since the majority of them are damaged after one or two months of returning to school,” pointing out that «buy three school bags of high quality with school supplies The other is around 2,000 dirhams. ”

The mother of a student, Samiha Othman, that the lack of good bags at reasonable prices in the market prompted her to look for offers and discounts in various commercial centers to get the best and cheapest prices to reduce school expenses with the beginning of school return, calling on the concerned authorities to adjust the prices of stationery in shopping centers and libraries, including Commensurate with the financial situation of the middle income.

A field tour conducted by the newspaper revealed that many shops and outlets offered warranty periods on the types and brands of bags and the warranty periods were concentrated between one and two years, while other shops offered a guarantee period that they said for life on a brand of high-priced bags to encourage purchase.

The tour showed a great diversity in the sizes and shapes of the bags, and many shops offered bags consisting of complete kits, and includes beside the basic bag, water Zmzmh, school bag (pencil case), sandwich bag, or food.

Shops, outlets and libraries focused on offering additional features in the bags, such as pockets and interior spaces for mobile phones, pockets for MP3 players, water bottle pockets, sealed keys, and padded back for increased student comfort and no pressure. Nerves of the back, as well as bags that include several layers of fabric for durability and durability, especially elastic elastic fabric and waterproof bags, and others.

During the field trip to the shopping malls and libraries, the UAE today observed a wide variation in the prices of stationery and school bags. While the price of the bag in many shopping malls and libraries ranged from 150 to 395 dirhams, the lowest quality bags, backpacks, are sold at prices ranging from 150 and 220 dirhams, while high-quality suitcases with small wheels are sold at prices ranging from 250 to 395 dirhams.

For his part, Director of Competition and Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Economy, Dr. Hashem Al-Nuaimi, said that the Department is carrying out inspection campaigns on shopping centers and libraries to monitor the prices of school bags and stationery before the start of the new school year.

He pointed out that consumers should activate the “Consumer Consumers” initiative in malls and libraries and inform the supervisory authorities in each emirate of any excesses in the price of stationery items by communicating through the liaison office on 600522225, and reporting any complaints about the manipulation of the prices of school bags and stationery.

"The backpacks are sold at prices ranging from 150 to 220 dirhams."

Western cartoon characters dominate the bag market

The drawings of the famous Western and American cartoon characters dominated the bags of the little ones, especially such as the characters of Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Frozen, Barbie, Lulu Kitty, Hello Kitty, the three princesses, Spiderman, Marvel, Lynn King, Avengers, Aladdin and Fella, while the markets were almost empty of bags reflecting the Emirati heritage and local cartoon characters.

Emirates Today asked officials at outlets and shops why there were no school bags carrying cartoons for Emirati cartoonists. "The vast majority of the school bags on the market are made in China and are sensitive to different tastes and cultures," said Haroon Ibrahim, a vendor at a large retail outlet with branches across the UAE.

"China dominates the school bag market," said retailer Ibrahim al-Bahar. This situation is not unique to the UAE, but is happening in many countries of the world now »

He attributed the sea to the absence of market bags of a traditional character and local cartoon characters to the excessive owners of these figures in demanding excessive fees for the exploitation of their personalities.

Wheeled bags

Students at Al Sadiq Islamic School in Dubai told Emirates Today that they had received a circular from the school's management asking them not to bring wheeled bags to their children, expressing their dissatisfaction with the generalization, as it limits the bags allowed in the school to the quality of backpacks.

The school attributed its request that wheeled bags cause students to fall on the stairs, due to the difficulty of controlling them, and students deliberately obstruct their colleagues, pointing out that backpacks are safer, especially for young students.

Students will be allowed to carry school bags with shoulder straps, she said.