School supplies have become significantly more expensive this year, forcing families like Layla Hassan’s to cut back on purchases. As a 55-year-old mother of two pre-secondary students, Hassan chose to rely on leftover pens and supplies from the previous year, buying only a couple of new notebooks.  Her experience reflects the financial strain many Egyptian parents face, as prices for school supplies and stationery have risen by five to 10 percent, according to the Head of the Stationery Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, Ahmed Abu Gabal. Mohamed El-Safty, deputy head of the Stationery Division, attributed the price increase to the rising exchange rate of the dollar, which has led to higher production costs for school supplies. “While the exchange rate has significantly increased since the devaluation of the Egyptian pound in March, school supply prices have not risen at the same rate, as previous prices were already affected by a parallel dollar rate that had soared to EGP 40 (USD 0.83),” El Safty explained. Mariam Hamdy, a 41-year-old mother of a primary school student, told Egyptian Streets that the price hikes have definitely had an impact on her…

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