The back-to-school season last June got me a little stressed shopping for my Little Boy’s school supplies simply because they were so many.  Mostly are for arts and crafts and being the not-so artsy craftsy that I am, I just relied on my judgment and instinct on deciding what brand of school supplies to buy.

There’s simply so many brands to choose and the more I compare a cheaper brand vs. another one which is a bit expensive, I’ve had this thinking if the school supply I will be buying will last longer. You know, when you have a preschooler, buying crayons and pencils can be a lot more frequent as if these school supplies were disposables. ;)

In our case, we’ve decided to have a mixture of both the cheaper and the slightly higher ones. The cheaper ones are those that are most likely to be bought frequently (a.k.a disposables?) like crayons and pencils while the slightly expensive ones are those that are most likely to last like scissors, brushes, and stamp pads. We thought it’s wise to invest in both off-brand but quality products and high-quality school supplies which are slightly expensive, yet they last the whole year or longer. ;)

It helped that I have guidelines with me to look into on what quality standards to look for in buying school supplies.

These guidelines are called the Philippine National Standards or PNS which the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry’s Bureau of Product Standards developed for the composition, properties, performance and labeling of school materials to help ensure the quality of these products.  And although these standards are voluntary or not under mandatory certification, the DTI, based on the Consumer Act of the Philippines, requires importer, manufacturer, distributor, retailer or wholesaler to follow these PNS.

Violations that include the lack of or the absence of markings or labels, exceeding the maximum level of toxicity, among others, warrants a fine ranging from P5,000 to a maximum of P300,000.

Here are examples of these standards and some of the requirements they contain:

  • Crayons (PNS 1224:2003)-Must give bright and even color under normal writing pressure and will not smudge. Their maximum allowed toxicity level (microgram per gram): lead, 90; chromium hexavalent, 60; cadmium, 50; arsenic, 25. Each crayon should be marked specifying its color, brand or trade name, name of manufacturer and country of origin (if imported). Crayon box must have the following markings: name of product, trademark, quantity, manufacturer’s name and address, the words “non-toxic,” and country of manufacture.

  • Wood-cased black lead pencils, hardness of 6H to 9B (PNS 1413:1996)-Wood casing must be free from defects, made of softwood, easy to sharpen. Lead must be secured and not easily broken. Eraser must not be abrasive and provide clean erasures. Each pencil must be marked with brand name/trademark, hardness symbol, country of manufacture.

  • Notebook, spiral bound or stitch type (PNS 474:1997)-Must be non-blotting and suitable for writing with ink on both sides. Dimension: 148mm x 200mm. Minimum number of leaves: 50 or 90 sheets. Each notebook must be labeled with number of leaves, type and class, recognized trademark, name and address of manufacturer/converter, country of origin.

  • Correction fluid, organic solvent-based or latex emulsion water-based (PNS 895:1993)-Must contain titanium dioxide pigment or mixture and a suitable vehicle. No livering, curdling, hard setting and caking. No obnoxious odor. Markings should include type, net volume in milliliter, cautionary notes regarding toxicity and flammability.
  • Marking pens (PNS 2049: 2006)-Are classified as oil-based, water-based or alcohol-based. The ink reservoir must be stable to prevent leakage when stored and ink must flow out adequately upon use. Tip of the pen must be of suitable firmness and good structure that will regulate flow of ink. For its marking, the name “Marking Pen”; trademark or brand name; color of the ink; classification; the instructions: “When not in use, shall be tightly capped and stored horizontally”; name, address and licensing information of manufacturer/distributor/importer, and country of origin must be readable.