Jaipur man's post on Rs 4.27 lakh school fees for Class 1 daughter goes viral: 'Good education is a luxury, middle class can't afford'
It's no secret that the cost of school education in India has been steadily climbing over the years. Yet, every now and then, when parents share the jaw-dropping fees for primary schools—or even playschools—it leaves everyone stunned. The prices are sky-high and show no signs of slowing down.
Jaipur resident Rishabh Jain, whose daughter is set to start Grade 1 next year, recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the staggering costs of school education in India.
Sharing the fee structure of what he described as a reputable school in Jaipur, he revealed a jaw-dropping total of Rs 4.27 lakh per year.
This amount includes Rs 2,000 for registration charges, Rs 40,000 as admission fees, Rs 5,000 refundable caution money, Rs 2.52 lakh in annual tuition fees, Rs 1.08 lakh for bus services, and an additional Rs 20,000 for books and uniforms.
He says the pricing is similar for other 'good schools' in the city.
Jain argued that even those with an impressive annual income of Rs 20 lakhs struggle to afford quality education in India.
He explained how taxes and mandatory expenses eat into a significant chunk of income. "50% of your $20k income is extorted by the government in form of Income Tax, GST, VAT on petrol, Road tax, Toll Tax, Professional tax, Capital Gain, Land Registry charges and so on. Then you still have to pay for term insurance, health insurance premiums, and PF, NPS for a old age pension," he said.
He added, "In the remaining Rs 10L, Either you can have food, clothes, pay rent or EMIs, and save something or you can pay school fees for your two kids ... decide!!"
This issue of skyrocketing cost of education, clearly, is no longer confined to metro cities like Delhi or Bengaluru but is now being felt even in smaller cities like Jaipur.
Earlier this year, a similar story went viral when Akash Kumar, a Chartered Accountant from Delhi, revealed that his son's playschool fee amounted to Rs 4.3 lakh annually.
