BAKU — September 3, 2025.
As Azerbaijan prepares for the September 15 start of the new academic year, the cost of equipping children for school has become a point of debate among parents.
Some families complain that even a basic set of notebooks, pens, pencil cases and other essentials now costs around ₼100 ($59) per child. For households with two school-age children, the bill can easily exceed ₼200 ($118).
Others argue that supplies remain affordable, pointing to discounts offered in many stores in the run-up to the school year. Retailers acknowledge a slight price increase but stress that goods are available across a wide range of budgets. Backpacks are considered the most expensive purchase, but many parents note that they can be used for several years, softening the financial hit.
Uniform prices fall
Ehtibar Azimov, head of sales at the Baku Sewing House, told local media that the price of school uniforms has actually dropped this year. Short-sleeved polo shirts are now ₼8 ($4.70) instead of ₼12, trousers and skirts are ₼15 ($8.80) instead of ₼20, and jackets are down to ₼20 ($11.80) from ₼30. The discounts range from 20% to 33%.
The full bill
The price of backpacks currently ranges between ₼20 and ₼150 ($12–$88). Taken together with supplies and uniforms, the average cost of preparing a child for school is estimated at ₼200–₼250 ($118–$147).
For some families, those numbers represent a painful squeeze on household budgets; for others, they show that back-to-school shopping in Azerbaijan remains manageable — especially with discounts on offer.
