Hard-pressed parents take break from vacations to save for school, Raya

SANDAKAN – The strenuous economic conditions have made this the worst of times to spend on vacations despite the ongoing school break, as parents of schoolchildren are forced to prepare their finances for the reopening of schools this month and the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival in April.

Local mother-of-one Julisa Salman, 33, said that she had explained the matter to her 12-year-old son – that the whole family must be prudent with spending this school holiday period.  

“I told him that I will have to spend a lot for the school reopening to buy school equipment, clothes, and books in March,” she said. 

“I will also need to start buying things for Hari Raya Aidilfitri in the same month. So this year, we are not going anywhere during the school break.”

When the economic scenario was better prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, many parents would plan vacations with their families around the long year-end school holiday break.

In Sabah, this year’s school holiday period is from February 18 until March 19. Schools are scheduled to reopen for the new year on March 20 while Hari Raya Aidilfitri is expected to fall on April 21.

Another local mother here, Noorasvilla Muhamma, said that she expects to spend about RM500 on school fees and equipment for her 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.  

In addition to that, she said, about RM300 is needed for the preparations for Hari Raya.

The expenditure however cannot wait until April because purchases, such as for festival clothes, must be made earlier to avoid last-minute arrangements.

She also said that she has found her family spending more during the fasting month that precedes Hari Raya as more special dishes are prepared for breaking-of-fast sessions in the evenings.  

“Yes, we are not going anywhere this holiday. I think many Muslim families are also like us – we are saving for our expenses next month,” she said.  

Meanwhile, a teacher in Sandakan, Wendy Aaliyah Chong, said that she is dividing the expenses needed for school reopening and Hari Raya by buying several items earlier. These include school clothes, shoes, bags, and books.  

“This way, I do not need to fork out a large sum of money at a single time next month,” she said.

“Still, we are being thrifty this month so that we maintain our emergency funds, which we expect will be needed for extra school fees and so on,” she said.  

As a civil servant, Chong said that she is happy with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Budget 2023 presentation, especially since all federal civil servants will receive a RM700 bonus for Hari Raya.  

“People may not think that RM700 is a lot, but it will be a tremendous help for my family,” the mother of three said. – The Vibes, March 1, 2023