The month of January comes with additional responsibilities and costs for parents, ranging from searching for school placements to making back-to-school purchases.

Nelson Shipeyo, a parent of a Grade 5 pupil, advised guardians to buy school supplies and uniforms well in advance to make it easier for themselves to manage competing needs.

"She is going to Grade 5, and we got everything we wanted; we are very excited for back to school." He added, "I believe that we should buy stationery and staff much earlier than getting into this rush right before school."

Some parents, like Josephat Kamutjemo, faulted schools for releasing stationery lists late.

"Actually, I did get everything I wanted, but just here and there. That is short because of time, and schools always release the stationery list too late for us because you need to plan everything, or budget, as you call it. We budgeted, but you don't know how much to budget because the school releases the stationary list too late; at least by October or September, you can release it, and then we do it. Despite this, I got everything I wanted; it's just here and there due to human error.

Some people also make a living by offering services such as covering books and alterations outside the shops, as some parents have no choice but to buy bigger uniforms and resize them as the correct sizes run out.