Has access to quality education really become a luxury in India?
The soaring fees in private schools across India have become a major concern for parents, especially those from middle-class families who are struggling to afford quality education for their children.
Private schools continue to demand exorbitant tuition fees, with additional charges for everything from extracurricular activities to books, uniforms, and transport, pushing education further out of reach for many.
A recent viral post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has once again spurred this debate.
Rishabh Jain, a father from Jaipur, took to social media on November 17, Sunday, to highlight the staggering cost of education in one of the city's reputed schools. Sharing a screenshot of the fee structure for his daughter’s Class I admission, Jain revealed that the total cost for one year at the school amounts to a jaw-dropping Rs 4.27 lakh.
“This is the price of quality education in India,” Jain wrote in his post on X, “Can you afford it even if you earn Rs 20 lakh a year? NO,” he wrote.
The school charged Rs 2,000 for registration, Rs 40,000 for admission, Rs 5,000 for refundable caution money, Rs 2,52,000 for annual school fees, Rs 1,08,000 for bus charges, and Rs 20,000 for books and uniforms, bringing the total to Rs 4,27,000 annually.
His post quickly went viral, garnering over a million views, and sparked an outpouring of comments, with many echoing his concerns about the financial burden of education.
“50% of your Rs 20 lakh salary is wiped out by taxes — income tax, GST, VAT on petrol, road tax, toll tax, and more. Then you have to pay for insurance, provident fund, and pensions. After all that, you’re left with just Rs 10 lakh to cover your family’s living expenses. So, you either put food on the table, pay rent, or pay for your kids’ education — not both,” the netizen wrote.
The post has sparked a wide range of reactions. Some users sympathised with Jain’s plight, while others questioned the inflated costs of school uniforms and the choice of an expensive institution.
“Bro, a uniform for 20k? Is it made by Zara or something?” one user joked.
Another suggested, “Send your kids to government schools, it’s free”