Over 60% of financially struggling parents with children advancing to the next stage of education said they planned to cut their living costs to secure the money needed for their children’s new school life, a survey has shown.
Nongovernmental organization Save the Children Japan took the survey in January with 1,255 parents who had children slated to go on to the next level of education, such as junior high school, this spring and who applied to its financial support program.
Regarding how they planned to cover the costs related to school entrances and graduations, the most popular answer was saving on living costs.
The answer was given by 62.5% of surveyed parents with children set to become junior high school students and 62.8% of parents with children slated to enter high school.
Asked how they cover school-related expenses, many respondents said they were reducing the amount they eat. Borrowing money from relatives was also a popular answer, given by nearly 20% of participants.
Asked what items respondents found difficult to prepare money for, with multiple answers allowed, over 75% said uniforms.
Among parents with children set to become high school students, personal computers or tablets were also a popular answer, picked by 47%, as were commuting costs, chosen by 31.2%.
Save the Children Japan said that the costs related to school entrances and graduations place heavy burdens on households. The group called for the expansion of support especially for parents with children entering high school, given that many respondents struggled to secure money for digital devices.