We don't just take stationery home from friends and the workplace, we also take it for granted. Where do our favourite stationery items come from exactly? Here are some fun facts you may not have known about these stationery items:
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has increased government spending on schools as South Africa grapples with a crisis in its schools and makes education a priority. Minister Tito
Mboweni promised to increase spending on education as South Africa winces at violence and abuse in its schools, as well as a below-par pass rate for matric pupils.
The Minister promised to spend big on upgrading schools, as well as to build new ones.
Read more: How the government will be spending on education in the next year
In case you don’t know how to plan for your stationery need for the year, the first thing you must do is to create a detailed list to plan covering all aspects of what you'll need.
- Pens, pencils etc.
- Generously sized pencil case.
- Blue or black pens: buy in bulk and have at least two in your pencil case at a time.
- Handwriting pen or fountain pen (with extra cartridges if needed)
- Highlighters: ideally four different colours.
- HB pencils: buy in bulk.
Read more: How to plan for your stationery needs for the year
The comparisons were sent in to Parent24 by our readers Keith and Jacky.
While he doesn’t have a little one at school, the Port Alfred-based Keith says he was motivated to put together a list of prices for his domestic worker’s child.
He told Parent24 that he based his information on Back to School promotional leaflets and the retailers’ websites. The retailers he's included on his price list are Checkers, Pick n Pay, CNA and Pep.
Read more: Parents compared these retailers to find the most affordable stationery
1) Shelve Your Books Properly
Always store your books with same sizes and lengths (e.g. paperback novels) in an upright position. If necessary, use bookends to give them extra support to avoid your books from slumping. But for oversized books (e.g. hardcover novels, coffee table books), it’s best to lay them flat on the surface than upright position. This to prevent the spine of oversized books from weakening or separating from their structures.
2) Avoid Humidity
One of the biggest culprits of damaged books is a little element commonly known as humidity. A very humid environment inside your room will develop mould and mildews over time. The result not only causes your books to suffer from brittle pages and cracked spines but also smell musty. Always remember to store your books in a place with sufficient airflow, preferably in an open shelve than placing them inside the box covered with a lid. The general rule of thumb is to maintain consistent yet humidity level at around 40 to 50%. Your best bet to determine the humidity level of your room? Invest in a good hygrometer. You can purchase this online or your local hardware store.