Dear Editor,
I recently visited a high school in my neck of the woods, I needed a snack and so I ventured to one of the vendors at the school's gate to purchase it. I bought a Tea biscuit and a small soda for $100. As this is an often purchase it suddenly hit me that I just paid $35 more than I would normally pay.
Maybe I knew before and didn't remember, but I suddenly realised that schoolchildren pay more for basic foods and snacks than everybody else.
I don't know where the vendors purchase their stock, and I am not going to be critical of their mark-up. I will say, though, it is not fair for students to pay so much for simple snacks.
And it is not just at the gates, I have also come to the realisation that many schools set up snack counters or tuck shops and charge the same expensive prices as the vendors.
One must be mindful of the fact that children are confined within school premises until dismissal and so have no choice but to purchase these expensive snacks.
Many will argue that parents should make provisions for their children to bring snacks to school, but can all parents afford this luxury? Further, do children have the requisite discipline to only eat what their parents give them or not eat until they really need it?
I believe that school administrations should look into this matter with a view to finding a way to ensure that students can get these products to purchase at the same prices that they are sold everywhere else.
Gary Rowe
Manchester
magnett0072004@yahoo.com
Don't rob the children
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I recently visited a high school in my neck of the woods, I needed a snack and so I ventured to one of the vendors at the school's gate to purchase it. I bought a Tea biscuit and a small soda for $100. As this is an often purchase it suddenly hit me that I just paid $35 more than I would normally pay.
Maybe I knew before and didn't remember, but I suddenly realised that schoolchildren pay more for basic foods and snacks than everybody else.
I don't know where the vendors purchase their stock, and I am not going to be critical of their mark-up. I will say, though, it is not fair for students to pay so much for simple snacks.
And it is not just at the gates, I have also come to the realisation that many schools set up snack counters or tuck shops and charge the same expensive prices as the vendors.
One must be mindful of the fact that children are confined within school premises until dismissal and so have no choice but to purchase these expensive snacks.
Many will argue that parents should make provisions for their children to bring snacks to school, but can all parents afford this luxury? Further, do children have the requisite discipline to only eat what their parents give them or not eat until they really need it?
I believe that school administrations should look into this matter with a view to finding a way to ensure that students can get these products to purchase at the same prices that they are sold everywhere else.
Gary Rowe
Manchester
magnett0072004@yahoo.com
Don't rob the children
-->