A new education curriculum which came into effect this school term has proved to be costly for cash-strapped parents.
Under the new system a lot more stationery is required, a demand worsened by high prices, with most businesses charging in US dollars.
The cost of stationery has seen an average increase of up to 300%. A 72-page book now costs $1.50, up from just $0.50 last year, while the cost of hardcover books jumped to $4 from just $1.
The prices are pegged at the prevailing black market rate for the day as the local currency continues to fall against the US dollar.
Although officially the greenback is on par with the bond note, on the black market the bond note has lost value more than three times.
The Curriculum Framework for Primary and Secondary Education was met with widespread resistance from parents in 2017 when it was first mooted.
It is the result of a consultative process which Unicef and Unesco supported, with the aim of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities.
Primary school pupils now have seven subjects when they used to have four, while secondary school students have 12 subjects instead of eight.
With the old curriculum, each pupil had no more than 16 exercise books.
Trymore Marambanyika said he had spent close to $130 buying 51 exercise books and covers for his daughter at a secondary school in Mutare. This was on top of the nearly $400 he spent in boarding fees and groceries.
"Normally I would spend less than $50 for exercise books and covers."
Philip Marima said he spent close to $300 this year compared to $80 last year buying textbooks for his son, while some parents, such as Terrence Samuriwo, said primary school pupils were being sent back home for not having enough stationery.
"Teachers sent my daughter back from school for what they are calling substandard exercise books. But these are the same books I bought for her last year. So what do they want me to do? I had already covered them," he said.
The additional new subjects have seen demand for more textbooks.
Schools, which are supposed to provide textbooks, have transferred the burden to pupils and their parents.
Edward Shumba, the Manicaland provincial education director, this week said schools should not impose conditions that deprived pupils of their right to education.
"Some schools say children should bring their own textbooks and others say they provide and put the cost in their budgets which the students will pay over time.
"But rejecting certain types of exercise books? No, that's not standard procedure. Standard procedure is that any exercise book is accepted as long as the learner can write in it and the teacher can mark it," said Shumba.
Meanwhile, disruptions to the school calendar loomed large on Thursday after civil servant unions rejected a 10% pay hike from the government. Teachers this week demanded to be paid salaries in US dollars and have said they would not be able to report for duty until their demands were met.
The Apex Council, an umbrella body for unions, gave notice that the entire public service would go on strike in two weeks...