We don’t have a school stationery problem, we have an annual accountability problem

Every January, without fail, social media turns into a public grievance board for stationery lists. It starts innocently enough. A photo of a list. A caption about how “schools are asking for too much”. Then it spirals.

By day two, we are knee-deep in outrage, sarcasm and outright lies. Lists that don’t exist are suddenly “circulating”. Parents are frothing. Engagement is booming. And a few savvy profiles are cashing in, because yes, social media does pay some professional accounts for traction.

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.

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.

Ridiculous allegations

Teachers are not pocketing your child’s glue stick. They are not running black-market stationery syndicates from the staff room. They are doing their jobs, often under conditions in which parents would not last a week. Overcrowded classrooms. Limited resources. Endless admin. Emotional labour that does not clock out. And on top of that, they are expected to defend themselves against ridiculous allegations from adults who should know better.

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.

But that is not who is making the noise online.

The loudest complainers are often the ones who had no problem funding December indulgences. The same ones who will happily spend on data to argue on Facebook for hours. The same ones who will blame everyone except themselves when it is time to show up for their child.

And here is another uncomfortable truth. Cheaper brands exist. Always have. Always will. Nobody is demanding premium stationery. Nobody is checking labels. A glue stick is a glue stick. Paper is paper. The fixation on brand names is just another excuse to avoid responsibility.

What worries me most is not the complaining. It is the message it sends to children. When parents publicly undermine schools, ridicule teachers and treat education as an inconvenience, children absorb that. They learn that learning is negotiable. That effort is optional. That accountability belongs to someone else.

Chaotic classrooms

Then, years later, we wonder why respect for educators has eroded. Why classrooms are chaotic. Why children struggle with the basics. We cannot sabotage the system and then complain about the outcome.

Parenting is not about viral posts. It is about doing the unglamorous, repetitive, sometimes expensive work of raising a child properly. That includes buying stationery without a performance. Without a rant. Without pretending the world is conspiring against you.

So no, teachers are not your enemy. Schools are not running extortion rackets. And stationery lists are not a personal attack.

Buy the Pritt. Buy the pencils. Do your part. And if you genuinely need help, ask for it honestly instead of manufacturing outrage for likes. Your child deserves better than excuses. DM

Nivashni Nair is a multi-award-winning journalist and published author. She has won the Vodacom Journalist of the Year KZN region opinion category five times.