Government sponsored school supply fair provides relief for cash-strapped parents

Some Tunis retailers use the back-to-school shopping season as an opportunity for price gouging. But parents in the capital are relieved to see the Ministry of Trade and several wholesalers step in to run a fair to help parents stock up on supplies as their children return to class. Tunisia’s soaring inflation is a burden to parents with school-age children.

The regular basket of basic stationery supplies – pens, pencils, notebooks, and backpacks- can cost as much as three hundred U.S. dollars. That’s particularly outrageous when the average monthly household income is between 201 and 500 Tunisian dinars per month, which is about 62 to 154 U.S. dollars.

“We are going through difficult living conditions, but we are trying to provide for our children the best we can,” a special education teacher told A24 as she shopped for school supplies.