“At home, I don’t pay for anything, but in school, I have to pay for everything.” – Tracy shared with The High Street Journal
This is the reality for many students as schools reopen. For Tracy, a university student, the excitement of a new academic year comes with a heavy dose of reality: juggling tuition, hostel expenses, and daily living costs.
At the same time, younger students face a different kind of pressure. Many schools now run a hybrid system combining the Cambridge curriculum with the Ghana Education Service (GES) syllabus.
This means textbooks, exercise books, and study guides have to cover both programs, creating extra costs that weigh heavily on parents’ budgets.
For hostel students, life can feel even more expensive. Eugenia, another student, explains: “Staying in the hostel is by God’s grace. I spend at least 50 cedis a day on food, plus other monthly general expenses.” From printing assignments to buying personal care items, the little things add up, and fast.
The surge in demand for school supplies has also opened up opportunities for small businesses. Online shops on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are buzzing with sellers offering stationery, calculators, textbooks, and even all-in-one school kits.
For some students, these online stores are a lifesaver for last-minute purchases, while parents hunt for the best deals to make their money go further.
Back-to-school season is about more than just books and uniforms. For university students like Tracy and Eugenia, it’s about learning to manage money, plan ahead, and handle the small emergencies that pop up along the way.
For parents and younger students, it’s about stretching every cedi and navigating a system that now demands more than ever.
Whether it’s the 50-cedi meals of a hostel student or the double textbooks of a primary pupil, the start of the school year in Ghana is a mix of excitement, stress, and opportunity.
And while the costs may be high, it’s also a reminder that education today comes with lessons in budgeting, planning, and resilience, inside and outside the classroom.
