Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, May 31.
In Arakan Army-controlled areas, the price of blank notebooks has risen to over 50,000 kyats per dozen, confirmed by stationery shop owners and local Arakan residents.
Stationery shop owners report that prices for notebooks have increased significantly: a dozen small Apollo blank notebooks now cost 40,000 kyats, while a dozen large ones go for 55,000 kyats; Green Star exercise books are priced between 35,000 to 45,000 kyats per dozen; Better World exercise books also range from 35,000 to 45,000 kyats per dozen; Classmate notebooks cost around 45,000 kyats per dozen; small Shwe Naingan notebooks are 40,000 kyats per dozen, and large ones 55,000 kyats; Power Win large notebooks go for 40,000 kyats; New York notebooks are priced at 30,000 kyats per dozen; and Flex Office notebooks have reached up to 30,000 kyats per dozen.
“The price of blank notebooks varies depending on the quality of the notebooks. When we purchase them, they are transported through several stages, and the transportation costs are very high. Because of these factors, the selling price has increased to over 50,000 kyats,” said a stationery shop owner from Kyauktaw Township in an interview with Border News Agency.
Traders and stationery shop owners in the Arakan region say they have to purchase stationery supplies through neighboring countries. Due to difficult transportation routes and increased costs, prices have risen.
When importing blank notebooks, they have to pay transportation fees based on weight, with costs reaching up to 80,000 kyats per pisa, according to stationery shop owners.
Since the beginning of the Arakan final battle, the Myanmar junta has blocked all land and water routes in the Arakan region and imposed strict restrictions on the flow of goods. As a result, residents in areas controlled by the Arakan Army report a sharp rise in commodity prices.
As a result, traders have been importing goods through neighboring countries, leading to a surge in prices of school exercise books as well, according to stationery shop owners and local residents in Arakan.
“The price of printed school textbooks varies depending on the grade level. For Grade 1, it’s around 35,000 kyats. Grade 4 books cost over 40,000 kyats, and for Grade 12, the total cost exceeds 100,000 kyats. Textbooks for Grades 5, 6, 7, and 12 are almost impossible to find,” said a stationery shop owner from Kyauktaw Township to Border News Agency.
Since the beginning of the Arakan final battle, the Arakan Army (AA) has taken full control of 15 townships, including Paletwa, and is now implementing administrative mechanisms under the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government.
However, due to ongoing airstrikes by the Myanmar junta in those areas, many schools remain closed. In some places, where conditions allow, teaching is still being carried out, according to local Arakan residents.
In order to continue learning under such circumstances, Arakan locals say that many children – including those from conflict-affected areas and displaced families – are unable to afford school supplies such as textbooks and stationery.
As a result, parents say many children from low-income families and those living in displacement camps have had to pause their education, unable to attend school due to financial hardship.
“I have a son and a daughter,” said a parent from Kyauktaw Township to Border News Agency. “My daughter is in sixth grade, and she already knows how to read and write well, but we had to pull her out of school. My son is still in a lower grade, so we’re trying to keep him in school. Textbooks and school supplies are so expensive now that even though I want to send my daughter to school, we just can’t afford it. Our family survives on daily manual work, and we simply can’t keep up with these prices. Everyone knows how hard things these days are even affording basic food is a challenge.
