OPINIONISTAWe don’t have a school stationery problem, we have an annual accountability problemByNivashni Nair

Stationery is not a luxury item. It is not a scam. It is not a punishment.

It is the bare minimum needed for a classroom to function. Glue sticks, pencils, crayons, paper. These are not outrageous demands.

They are standard learning tools. Yet every year, teachers are accused of stealing them, hoarding them or somehow personally benefiting from them. It is insulting and deeply unfair.

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Let’s get one thing out of the way early. No public school in South Africa is asking parents to buy 12 bottles of Domestos or 32 rolls of toilet paper. That untruth resurfaces every year, and every year it is exactly that – untrue.

But it spreads because outrage travels faster than truth and because some adults enjoy performing anger online more than they enjoy dealing with reality offline. Yes, there may be a handful of public schools that ask for questionable or excessive items, and those should be challenged. But they are very much the minority, not the norm, and certainly not representative of public schooling in South Africa.

The reality is simple. Your child’s education matters. And the tools required to educate that child matter too.

Let’s talk about priorities, because that is what this really comes down to. December just passed. Timelines were filled with alcohol, parties, matching outfits, weekend getaways, restaurant check-ins and shopping hauls.

Bottles were bought without complaint. Tabs were opened without hesitation. Money was found.

But suddenly, in January, a glue stick is where the line is drawn. That is not about affordability. That is about choice.

And before anyone starts with the predictable deflection, no, this is not about shaming poor parents or ignoring real financial hardship. Those conversations are valid and necessary. Schools know this.

Teachers know this. That is why exemptions exist. That is why no child should be turned away for not having every single item on day one. That is why there are systems in place for parents who genuinely cannot afford the basics.

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