Parents doing their back to school shopping.

The Ministry of Finance paid parents of over 41,000 students as part of the $200 back-to-school support initiative yesterday.

Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Finance Shiri Gounder says following this second batch of payments, the Ministry has so far assisted 203,942 students with a total payout of $40.8 million.

Gounder says while this assistance has helped thousands of families prepare their children to get back to school, the injection of over $40 million just within a week has also induced a major pick-up in business activity.

He adds positive sentiments have been shared by members of the business community, who have reported a strong pick-up in their sales.

The PS has once again urged parents to use the funds responsibly to purchase school-related items and ensure that students are properly equipped before school starts in February.

Parents can withdraw the funds at any Vodafone or Digicel outlet or purchase items at registered retail outlets accepting mPAISA or MYCASH payments.

Parents that had opted for payment through Post Fiji, they can visit the nearest postal outlet to access their funds.