Campaigns in demand

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Alena Pecker shops for school supplies at carla with her son Michael, who will have his first day of school in September.(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

The joy of the first day of school is great for many schoolchildren. For parents, however, it means a lot of money. Due to rising prices, school start campaigns by Caritas and the like are becoming increasingly important.

Families are particularly affected by the price increases when they start school. Parents complain about the often unaffordable fees they are asked to pay at the start of school: School bags, gym bags, exercise books, pencils, crayons and craft kits - even a simple starter pack for school can cost up to 300 euros. On top of the increased costs for food, housing and energy.

"We must not resign ourselves to this"
According to Caritas, 60,000 primary school children and 91,000 lower school children live in low-income households across Austria. In total, around 376,000 children and young people are affected by poverty. "We must not resign ourselves to this," emphasizes Caritas head Klaus Schwertner. This is why the carla school campaign is taking place again this year.

The continuing price rises are putting many people under pressure - including a worrying number of children and young people.

Caritasdirektor Klaus Schwertner

Starting school means high costs
At the branch at Mittersteig 10 in the 5th district, parents have the opportunity to buy school supplies - from brand new donations to second-hand items in good condition - at reasonable prices. Alena Pecker also shops here for her son Michael, who starts school in September. "You need so many new things, especially for first graders, from school bags to sharpeners. It's very expensive," explains the 47-year-old. The price increases are omnipresent, and the start of school does the rest.

"Over the past two to three years, we've noticed that more and more customers are coming," explains Petra Rabl, manager of carla Mittersteig. They had already received calls days ago asking whether the back-to-school event would be taking place again. The crowds were already huge on Saturday, with between 20 and 50 families coming to shop each day.

The Caritas learning cafés offer free tutoring.(Bild: Caritas)

School supplies five percent more expensive
School bags are available from seven euros, exercise books for 30 cents and pencils for 2.50 euros. "I would have to pay three times as much in normal shops," says mother Alena Pecker. Compared to the previous year, school supplies have become five percent more expensive. But school supplies are not the end of the story.

Up to 1690 euros per school year
Pupils' parents incur many other costs over the course of the year, including excursions, photocopying costs and milk money. According to the school costs study, an average of 1,400 euros is due per primary school pupil and those in the lower school. In the upper school, it is as much as 1690 euros per child. In some cases, there is also tutoring - at up to 750 euros per year.