With the start of the new school year just a few days away, the pockets of many parents have been milked dry. School-related expenses like money for books and tuition have sent many parents into deep depression. We wanted to know just how many people had to confront this reality, so we asked:

Do you have any school-age children who live with you?

YES 60%

It is clear that the majority of the respondents do live with children that attend school. This shows that a sizeable number of persons have to deal with the responsibility of providing for a child.

We followed up this question by asking:

(IF YES) Do you think you'll be able to send them to school for the upcoming school year or not?

YES 65%

NO 20%

Don't Know 14%

Surprisingly, a sizeable 65 per cent said they would be able to send their child to school. This contrasts sharply with the common complaints of many parents, who are often heard complaining that they cannot afford to send their children to school. Based on this poll, it would seem that this group is in the minority.

We also asked those who said they were not able to send their children to school, if they had heard of any government programmes that could help them. This is what they said:

YES 52%

NO 48%

If such a large number of persons know about the alternatives, why don't they make use of them?

The poll was conducted on July 15 and 16 by Johnson Survey Research Limited

Sample size: 1,008 residents

Age of sample : 18 and older

Sampling error : +/- 3.1 %