The Cost of Education in India: Will there be public or private schools? If the latter is the case, what is its reputation and fee structure? Should you choose a local school or an out-of-town boarding facility? When it is time to enrol their children in school, every parent is faced with these queries.
In recent years, the cost of education has skyrocketed, including school and bus fees, uniforms, and literature. However, the majority of parents are concerned about whether their children should choose international, central, or even state boards. What about alternative learning institutions?
The Cost of Education in India
The planks
Sandhya Jandhyala, 40, of Hyderabad, opted for the Central Board of Secondary Education, or CBSE. Both of her daughters attend the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School, which is only 5 kilometres from their home. The older of her two daughters is in seventh grade, while the youngest is in upper kindergarten (UKG).
Why did she choose CBSE? “I work in investment banking, while my spouse is an IT (information technology) specialist. Our employment may necessitate relocation to other cities. As CBSE is a central board, the children can simply continue their education in a different part of the country, even if we move cities,” she explains.
Jandhyala explains that she and her husband chose CBSE over international boards such as IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and IB (International Baccalaureate) because the academic schedule is less rigorous. “We wanted them to devote equal attention to their academics and extracurricular activities,” she continues.
Prior to admissions, the couple also spoke with parents of other pupils at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The school has a vast campus with expansive sports fields for students interested in athletics. Jandhyala reports that the annual expenses for her younger daughter are 40,000, while those for her older daughter are 60,000.
Regarding higher education, Jandhyala desires her children to study abroad, but she does not believe international board is required. She believes that the CBSE curriculum helps students develop the necessary abilities to pass entrance exams.
Pune-based Vaibhav Garge, age 39, has enrolled his son in the CBSE-affiliated Poddar International School. His son is presently enrolled in second grade. He chose CBSE because he believes the curriculum can help prepare the child for competitive exams such as JEE (joint entrance exam).
“Although we don’t necessarily want our child to pursue a career in engineering in the future, we will evaluate his aptitude to determine his future path. “The boards will provide him with a solid foundation should he wish to take any competitive examinations,” says Garge.
Priority was given to locating a school close to the residence. “This institution is only five kilometres away from our residence. Therefore, if any circumstance necessitates that a parent visit the school fast, we can easily accommodate that. In addition, we consulted with family and friends before choosing the institution,” Garge continues.
Pratik Padaliya, 39, of Ahmedabad, enrolled his daughter in a local school that offers state board so she could rest more, particularly during her childhood.
Padaliya, who operates a small business, says he has no intention of leaving the city, so CBSE made no sense to him. He has enrolled his daughter in the Shreyas Foundation school, which is operated by a non-profit. The school’s location encompasses 30 acres of land. Padaliya states, “Therefore, there is ample open space for children to play sports and engage in extracurricular activities.” Annual expenses are 60,000.
“The foundation is also committed to providing education to children from diverse backgrounds and different social classes, which will aid in my daughter’s all-around development,” he adds.
Index Universal Life Insurance (IUL): Exploring the Average Cost
The Cost of Education in India: New Methods of education
Bengaluru-based From fifth to tenth grade, Usha Krishnan, 49, and her husband, Geetha Krishnan, 53, sent their son to Rishi Valley School in Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh. According to them, their child benefited from the alternative learning curriculum taught there. “It helped instill the right set of values in him,” says Usha.
“Later, when he desired professional cricket coaching facilities, we transferred him to Bengaluru’s Vidyashilp Academy for class 11.” In addition, he joined a cricket academy in Bengaluru, so says Geetha.
The Krishnans paid approximately 6 lakh per year at Rishi Valley school and approximately 5 lakh per year at Bengaluru’s Vidyashilp Academy.
47-year-old Kshitija Ravi did not have a positive experience with alternative learning. Upon recognising that her son lacked conceptual clarity in certain subjects, she transferred him to a conventional school.
Ravi enrolled her sixth-grade son in the HDFC school affiliated with the CBSE in Bengaluru. There are a number of benefits to alternative learning. It aided in his development of critical thinking. At the same time, we believed that it might not benefit him in his old age. “The problem with alternative schools in India is a lack of qualified faculty and teachers,” she continues.
“The HDFC school is one of the most prestigious, and the annual tuition is 2 lakh,” she says.
“I would rather invest more in his higher education and budget proportionately. Ravi adds that a child’s career trajectory and development will be significantly more dependent on his or her college study decisions.
Vaishnavi Bala, age 35, has enrolled her daughter in Bengaluru’s Neev Academy. The institution uses the international baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.
Neev, according to Bala, offers an alternative method of instruction and a more experiential learning environment. “I want to instill critical thinking in my daughter as early as possible. At least for the time being, we did not want her to engage in rote learning,” Bala explains. Her daughter is now in first grade.
However, we may transfer to CBSE in the future, depending on her aptitude and academic interests. “We recognise that if a child wishes to stay in India and pursue higher education, it is best for them to take the central boards,” she says.
Bala states that the annual tuition at Neev Academy is approximately 5 lakh.
Managing expenses
Some parents might be concerned about the excessive cost of education. According to specialists, in such situations, parents should save more for their children’s higher education rather than spend more on their current education.
“Higher education, especially at private colleges, is more expensive. For instance, a four-year engineering programme can now cost approximately 16 lakh. Many families have been hindered by the sentiment “I will plan closer to my child’s college admissions” because they later realise their shortfall is so large that it becomes difficult to afford their children’s ideal college. Planning ahead is more essential than ever before. In addition, initiating a systematic investment plan early will assist in addressing education inflation. All households should include a corpus (education fund) in their financial planning, according to Eela Dubey, co-founder of EduFund.
