An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has raised concerns about the rising cost of education in India, which resonated with thousands of parents online.
In a post on social media platform X, Rishabh Jain (@rishsamjain) a Jaipur-based entrepreneur, shared the fee structure of a prestigious school in the city and claimed that enrolling a first-grade student there would cost approximately Rs 4.27 lakh per year. He described this amount as unaffordable, even for families earning Rs 20 lakh annually.
Jain's viral post, which has been viewed over 1.6 million times, emphasised the increasing financial strain on middle-class families striving to access quality education.
"Good education has become a luxury that the middle class cannot afford," he stated in his post, noting that other leading schools in the city had similar fee structures.
"My daughter will be starting Grade 1 next year, and this is the fee structure of one of the schools we are considering in our city. Note that other good schools also have similar fees," he explained.
Breaking down the financial impact, Jain argued that high taxes and basic living expenses leave little room for paying such exorbitant school fees.
"At 20L income, you fall in the highest 30% + CESS tax bracket, do not qualify for government schemes, and do not receive any freebies or loan waivers like the rich," he pointed out.
He further noted that what remains after expenses barely covers food, clothing, Easy Monthly Installments (EMIs), and savings. He questioned how families can afford to pay Rs 4 lakh per child for school.
Many users argued that such is the state of education in high-end schools in the country.
While, many contended that the quoted amounts are exaggerations, and do not depict reality.
"It feels like you are exaggerating the numbers! And also, purposefully, you have picked the costliest school in your city to make this tweet! Not trying to disregard the fact that yes in our country, quality education is a joke and the cess that govt collects for the edu goes to politicians," the user said.
And others entered the conversation with further unbelievable facts.
The discussion highlighted a critical issue faced by many Indian families, which is the challenge of balancing the desire for quality education which comes with added financial constraints.
