How to deal with cash crisis and back-to-school hustle

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GOING back to school comes with a lot of negativities, being faced with huge sums of fees, groceries, new uniforms, a number of requirements that need to be met; how can all these be dealt with?

GOING back to school comes with a lot of negativities, being faced with huge sums of fees, groceries, new uniforms, a number of requirements that need to be met; how can all these be dealt with?

By Vanessa Gonye

Pupils board a bus in Harare ahead of schools opening. File Picture
Pupils board a bus in Harare ahead of schools opening. File Picture

Several points can be noted as to how to overcome the negative forces affecting many as children go back to school; the current cash crisis being a major one.

The current cash crisis in the country means it may take longer than necessary to raise enough funding for school fees.

To deal with the cash crisis when the school requires full payment of fees upon opening, it is wise to engage advance payments during the course of the term in preparation for the following term; this gives parents enough time to raise the fees and also ensures a hustle-free new term because by the time the new term begins, the child will be nearly or fully paid up.

Also, part payments will ease the strains associated with paying school fees as it is a better way of enabling a pressure-free opening day with regards to school fees.

For those with children in boarding schools, a lot is definitely needed and given the prevailing cash crisis, it will never be enough to get what is needed in place as schools open, therefore it is advisable to buy bits and pieces during holidays so that when schools open, everything will be in place and parents will be in the process of getting ready for the following term.

The best solution, however, to deal with cash problems is to transfer the child to a cheaper and affordable school so as to make sure that upon opening, there will be no problems and your child will not be in arrears.

The cash crisis is indeed bringing a lot of problems but there are also many ways to deal with those problems, thereby making sure your child goes to school without pressure and strain as far as school fees, uniforms and groceries are concerned.