School is about to resume for about 90,000 primary school students and over 100,000 secondary school students on Tuesday January 11th. Many have already been prepared since the end of last year but some wait for last minute to queue up in bookshops, school material shops, among others to get their kids ready for the big day.
Publicité
A new academic year with new curriculum and new perspective begins on Tuesday January 11th for students around Mauritius. As announced by the Minister of Education in December, the aim of academic year 2017 is to provide “equitable learning opportunities to all children with none being left behind. It will be a new learning way with freshly trained educators.”
Many prefer to prepare themselves well in advance and buy everything they need to avoid the crowds during the first week of January, while others wait for last minute to rush to shops. News on Sunday has taken a look at the availability of textbooks on the market.
Prithvi Fowdur, Director of Antara Bookshops, explains that due to shipment issues, the entry of some books on the market has been delayed. “There are not many books missing on the market. I must say that Éditions de L’Ocean Indien (EOI) and Éditions Le Printemps (ELP) have been doing a very good job so far regarding the distribution of books. The only books that have known a delay are the science books for Form 3. However, they will be available before the start of the academic year.”
At Éditions Le Printemps Ltd, Ahmad Sulliman explains that most parents do not wait till the last minute to buy textbooks and school materials for their children. “Those who wait at the last minute are often those who were abroad, those who have been caught up in end of year celebrations or those who do not have the means. But those waiting for last minute often have to come and go in various bookshops in order to have all the books on their list.”
Regarding the availability of books, Ahmad Sulliman points out that 99% of books are available at Éditions Le Printemps. Regarding those few missing books, he assures that shipments are due for January 5th and the books will be on the market by January 7th. “Among those books are Physics Form 3 and Physics O Level. The only book which will be available after school resumes is Principles of Account O Level by Éditions Le Printemps. It will be available as from January 25th.”
Why are some books always delayed and not available on the market? Ahmad Sulliman explains that this is due to shipment issues. “I must point out that as the port was closed on January 1st and 2nd, this delayed shipments. The books are left in ports in Reunion Island, Madagascar or even South Africa. Hence the delays.”
At BM Bookcentre Company Ltd, Mahmad Mittoo also points out that the missing books on the market will be available by January 7th. “We are expecting shipments on 5th and 6th January. Those textbooks will be on the market by the time the new academic year begins. However, availability issues are also due to the fact that some schools send their list of recommended textbooks very late. While some may send theirs by August/September, others wait till November to do so. We base ourselves on the list from the schools to place orders. Their latenesses delays the ordering and printing process,” he explains.
Mahmad Mittoo underlines that all bookshops around the island find themselves in the same situation. “They all have the issue of books which are not available yet.” What are the books not available at BM Bookcentre? “We are running short of Social Studies Form 1 as the demand increased. Also, Physics Education Form 1 to Form 3 and Chemistry Form 3 are not available. However, they will be on the market by the time school starts.”
Preparing your child psychologically
A successful first day at school for first timers requires a good preparation from parents. Psychologist Dr Anjali Bungaleea explains that the whole family has to get involved in preparing the child for school. “Understanding each child’s emotional and physical needs are as important so that we can respond and prepare for upcoming transitions, such as starting school with new environment, or resuming school after a holiday gap,” she says.
Dr Anjali Bungaleea sets the following steps which can help prepare your child be emotionally and mentally ready to go back to school:
1. Conversation to bridge parental and child point of view: Converse with your child in a cheerful way about starting school and give due consideration to your child’s response on this topic. Do they react enthusiastically, or with confusion or anxiety? It is advisable to use a calendar to count down the days until schools starts, and discuss on a mind map of events that follows.
2. Encourage positive behaviour to help your child socially interact with new environment
3. At school your child will need to abide with teacher’s requirements, follow rules, and interact appropriately with both adults and other children. As a parent you can encourage positive behaviour by “positive reinforcement”, that is, rewarding desired behaviour by giving specific praise, showing affection and positive emotions e.g. big smiles, hugs or high fives etc.
4. It is important for you to discuss about your child’s personality and preferred calming activities with the new teacher, and keep a healthy monitoring feedback routine with school management.
5. Be as prepared as possible for the “before school” morning routine, to avoid stress, rushed or agitations, remember that children pick up on their parents’ feelings and behaviour. Since you, as parent, you will have your own emotional responses to your child starting school so it might be helpful to be well prepared in advance.
6. Maintain Good Sleep Habits: it is important to return to sleeping times adopted during the school year about a week before school starts. Have your child go to bed and rise at the times you will expect once school is in session. Returning to a regular sleep schedule isn’t automatic for a child’s body so working into the regular times is suggested. If you are wondering how much sleep your child may need here are the recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation. Recommend 10-11 hours for children ages 5-12, and 8-9 hours for teens.
7. Set up healthy and practical routines which can help your child to go to sleep and wake in time to get ready for school. Some steps may include taking a shower, getting dressed, packing a lunch, completing homework, doing chores, preparing for a sports practice or music lesson etc.
8. Preparing for School – Invite your child to go shopping for school supplies, new clothes, new lunchbox or back pack. Involving your child will create excitement about the start of school.
9. Support for School Changes – As your child transitions from pre-primary to primary or from primary to secondary, it is typical to have some anxiety. Be available to have conversations with your child about any worries she may have and take time to help identify possible solutions for these worries.
10. Acknowledge Emotions – The beginning of school can bring a range of emotions so be open to conversations with your child about what she may be feeling about the start of a new school year.
11. Drop your child on the first day of School – help your child to tour the school and locate rooms and see new faces which can decrease anxiety. Your interest to meet the teacher or discuss on the school curriculum will reinforce the importance of education to your child.
12. Organise a Study Space – When children come home from the classroom, it’s homework and family balance time. Make sure this time is as productive and efficient as possible, by creating a specific homework space in the home. Stock the homework station with necessary supplies like pencils, crayons, paper, scissors and glue sticks. Make sure there is proper lighting and a comfortable chair to make the time in that space as pleasant as possible.
13. Exercise the Brain-After two or three months of watching television and playing at the seaside, most kids need a boost up to get their thinking skills roar. Make brain training a fun prospect, by incorporating the following activities into your December days: Reading Routines – Most children love libraries, where they can find books of all kinds for their individual interests. Board Games – instead of virtual online games, go with Monopoly or play your child’s favourite board games as a family. Card games and jigsaw puzzles can also work to re-train the brain before classes start up again.
Materials
How much will a parent spend on school materials for one child? “The price of a dozen copybooks costs around Rs 165, a sketch pad at Rs 35, dozen pencils at Rs 55, pens as from
Rs 5, watercolour sets as from Rs 200, pen sets as from Rs 100, paint brush set as from Rs 65. Overall it can cost a parent nearly Rs 600 for school materials,” explains the manager at University Book shop, Port Louis.
Prices for school material however also vary depending on the age of the children and his/her class. “For secondary school students, the price of school material varies. It also depends on subjects. Those doing Art at upper level will definitely spend more on sketch pads, watercolours, and brushes, among others. For a Form 1 student the average expenditure will be around Rs 1,000. For Form IV to Upper Six students, school materials can cost up to Rs 3,000,” explains Éditions Le Printemps Ltd.
Uniforms
Another compulsory item for the student is the school uniform. At Petronic shop in Port Louis, Grace Li, Uniforms Department Manager, explains that the sales of school uniform for both primary and secondary school are going on as usual. Like books, do some parents wait for last minute to buy the school uniforms? “While some people buy their school uniform in December, the majority do so in the first week of January, just before school starts. We encourage parents to come early, to beat the crowd. Also, sometimes due to limited stock, we can run out of the sizes they need. Therefore, the earlier they come the better,” she explains.
Grace Li also explains that the price of the school uniform depends on the size. “Dresses are as from Rs 295; blouses as from Rs 115; skirts as from Rs 150; shorts as from Rs 160. We also have the ‘pantajupe’, which costs 200 and above.” How much will a parent spend on the whole for school uniform? “Approximate price for plaited skirts, blouse, socks and handkerchiefs would be around Rs 375 for a student in Std I. Approximate price for secondary school (girl) including pinafore, blouse, socks and handkerchief is Rs 590.” Parents would typically buy two or three trousers/pinafore and four or five shirts For Std I and Form 1 students as these children are joining a new school.
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