The economy behind the cap and tunic moves offers from Bs 40

The rush for high school graduation is inevitable. Although this achievement is full of satisfaction, it also entails a series of expenses, so the parents and promotions must adjust their budgets to pay for everything related to graduation.

The premises on Ballivián Street show the movement of the last weeks of classes, because they are not only looking for costumes for festivals held by educational units, but also for graduation ceremonies and parties held by promotions.

Although input prices have risenworkshops maintain costs in rents due to the crisis and because many schools make contracts at the beginning of their management.

The rental of the characteristic attire in which the bachelors parade, which includes the custom promotional tunic, cap and stoleit ranges from Bs 50 to Bs 160 if it is by quantity. Freight costs Bs 70 per unit.

“We are already making deliveries, fully fulfilling orders,” says María Elena Aguilar, owner of Fantasías Lorenaspecialized in suits for promotions.

María Elena Aguilar, clothing maker /Photo: Juan Carlos Torrejón

This year he will be in charge of dressing more than 100 school promotions, which implies work throughout the year. The suits, which are exclusive, begin to be made Deliveries have been made since March and June.

“The prices are comfortable, due to the economic situation,” he points out, indicating that he has packages from Bs 60 to Bs 100, which include the lapel or breastplate, the tunictie and cap. “Everything is made to measure and good material is used,” he says.

The outfit is rented, but the bachelors keep the lapel and or the breastplate. as a souvenir, since they bear the name and year of the promotion.

The same clothing for kindergarten promotions costs Bs 40 to rent, but just like for secondary school students, They have the option to choose the color and define the impression they want to capture on the flap, because that remains as a souvenir.

“They have already been asking to get their estimates, but we have not raised the price,” stressed Ingrid Estrada, who has been working for years in one of the locations on Ballivián Street.

Based on experience, many of those who rent are hoping to improve their income, because they assure that from November 20 the search for the tunics increases.

They assure that they have not been able to increase prices because the situation is critical and many are tight on their budget.

The rental of suits is not only motivated by the young high school graduates who parade, but also by parents and relatives who want to dress according to the occasion. The stores also rent formal dresses and suits, ranging from Bs 150, depending on the model. For those who want to rent a brand new outfit and with a selected model, the price is from Bs 300 onwards.

Alaín, a clothing maker, was in the middle of sewing this Tuesday, taking advantage of the fact that the orders began to arrive. He assures that in recent years, the conflicts that have broken out during the month of October, have harmed the sector, and this time it has been no exception with the blockades. However, they hope that now that they have been suspended, greater movement can occur.

​Alaín, clothing maker /Photo: Juan Carlos Torrejón

His store specializes in men’s suits and the rents range between Bs 150 and Bs 300.depending on the size, design and quality of the fabric.

Some high school students point out that to alleviate expenses they carry out activities throughout the year to raise funds, others even organize themselves from pre-promotion. But there are also parents who make contributions thinking at the graduation of their children, since they go to high school or are in the last grades. This is thinking not only of the graduation ceremony, but also of the dream party, photo sessions in some tourist place, memories and even trips that they take privately, because promotional trips are not allowed.

A father from a private school said that the parents of the 120 students in the class contributed Bs 1,000 annually from the first year of secondary school, in addition to fund-raising activities such as fairs and raffles, with which they achieved a budget close to $us 100,000.

Other parents opt for cheaper packages and have a family reunion to alleviate expenses.

The head of the Departmental Directorate of Education (DDE), Nelson Alcócer, said that the graduation ceremony is a public event where the high school diploma is awarded. In this administration more than 35,000 will graduate students in Santa Cruz.

For this, an instruction was issued indicating that from December 9 to 13These activities are always scheduled. “They are protocol acts where the diploma and the Outstanding High School Incentive are delivered, who receive Bs 1,000 for all the use they have had,” indicated the authority when stating that they are Undue charges are prohibited.

The authority stressed that the DDE does not authorize any package, because the student can appear in his uniform or however the parents decide. He also stressed that the On December 6, the curricular advancement ends, completing 200 business days of classes. “We are in the epilogue of completing educational management 2024,” Alcócer emphasizes.

With the new provisions, evaluations are carried out throughout the entire management, so there is no reinforcement at the end of the advance.