For many parents, sending their child to school has turned into a financial burden that feels heavier each year. Ashish Singhal, co-founder, CoinSwitch and Lemonn, described the situation by stating, “30% fee hike. If this isn’t theft, what is?” His words mirror what thousands of families feel.
He further wrote on LinkedIn, “Started having conversations about school for my daughter. Shocked to hear what’s going on. In Bangalore, parents are now paying Rs 2.1 lakh for 3rd standard. That’s not an international school. That’s regular CBSE.”
“One parent called out the Rs 2L fee for Class 3, saying even an engineering degree costs less,” Singhal pointed out. Sadly, this is not a rare case any more. Across the country, parents are seeing fee hikes of 10% to 30% every year, while their own salaries have hardly moved.
In fact, this phenomenon is not limited to Bangalore, with reports of fee hikes between 10–30% annually. Such increases are becoming a norm rather than an exception.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Over the last ten years, middle-class salaries have grown by just 0.4% a year, yet education costs now eat up nearly a fifth of household income. In Ahmedabad, for example, parents pay about Rs 1.8 lakh a year for a child in Class 4.
To cope, “Forget saving for college. Parents are now taking EMIs for nursery,” he wrote.
What’s worse is that official figures claim education inflation is only about 4%, but parents know the reality is much harsher. For many, juggling rent, bus fees, and books has become a test of mental maths and sacrifice.
He summed it up simply: “This isn’t just inflation. It’s erosion. Of savings, sanity, and even family dreams.”
Once seen as the key to better opportunities, schooling is now becoming the biggest expense for many middle-class households. As the CoinSwitch co-founder rightly puts it: “We used to say, ‘education is the great equaliser.’ Now, it’s the biggest monthly liability.”
For those building solutions in banking, fintech, or policymaking, Ashish has a message: “This is your user. Struggling quietly, cutting corners, still showing up. Find ways to make them win.”
Parents are doing all they can to give their children the best future. But without support, school fees risk becoming a weight too heavy for families to carry alone.
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