‘₹4 lakh for class 1 student?’ Jaipur parent’s post sparks debate on education costs, calls quality education luxury for middle class

A post shared by a Jaipur man, Rishabh Jain, revealed that a reputed school in the city is charging over ₹4 lakh annually for a Class 1 student. This soaring cost of school fees has struck a chord with thousands of parents.

“The high fee is not an isolated instance but representative of other good schools in the capital of Rajasthan,” he said.

According to Rishabh Jain, he was planning to enroll his daughter in school when he became aware of how expensive schooling was.

The IIT Bombay-educated entrepreneur claimed in his furious post on X that quality education has become a luxury that the middle class cannot afford.

In an X post that has had over 1.5 million views, Jain expressed his opinion about the high cost of schooling in India.

“My daughter will start 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 wrote.

He shared a breakdown of the cost structure, noting that other reputable schools also charge comparable rates. Parents would need to pay ₹4.27 lakh over the course of a year to have their child educated.

The IITian argued that even people earning ₹20 lakh per year could not afford such a high cost, since much of their money would be spent on taxes and other needs like food and clothing.

“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,” said Jain.

“In the remaining ₹10L, either you can have food, clothes, pay rent or EMIs, and save something, or you can pay school fees for your two kids,” he added.

The post received mixed reactions, with many parents agreeing with Jain and calling the soaring expense of education "outrageous." However, some believed he had exaggerated when he claimed that those making ₹20 lakh could not afford the ₹4 lakh in annual school fees.

“Bro, it feels like you are exaggerating the numbers! And also, purposefully, you have picked the costliest school in your city to make this tweet!” wrote one X user.

Jain responded, “It may feel like I am exaggerating; trust me, I am not. Get married & settle in a big city to find for yourself.”

“I always tell people that they need to count the money they spend for good education as part of taxes, since in most high-tax countries, once you pay taxes, it covers quality education and sometimes healthcare too,” another X user said.

Earlier in Oct, a nursery school's exorbitant annual fee structure recently went viral, shocking many with the excessive costs and igniting considerable outrage.

The breakdown of fees includes a high ₹55,600 admission cost reserved for nursery and junior KG kids, as well as a staggering ₹8,400 one-time parent orientation fee.

The cost of education in India, especially in urban areas, has skyrocketed, leaving parents struggling to pay for their children's education.

Private schools target wealthy families with high tuition costs, particularly those that offer an international curriculum.

Meanwhile, middle-class and lower-class families struggle financially and forgo other necessities to prioritize their children's education.