School Charges ₹1.5 Lakh In Fees For Nursery & Junior KG: Bengaluru Man Says, 'I’m Planning To Open A School Now'

A photograph of a school's fee structure for the 2024-25 nursery and junior KG classes has gone viral, drawing attention to an exorbitant charge levied on parents.

The unidentified school has caused a heated debate on social media because of a “parent orientation fee.” This one-time fee for nursery and kindergarten students is in addition to the Rs 55,600 admission fee. The school also charges over Rs 30,000 as “caution money.”

Dr. Jagdish Chaturvedi, an ENT doctor and stand-up comedian, posted a picture of the fee structure on X (formerly Twitter).

He wrote, “8400 INR parent orientation fee! No parent would pay even 20% of this for a doctor’s visit…” He jokingly said, “I’m thinking of starting my own school.”

The image shows the detailed fees for nursery and junior KG for the 2024-25 school year. Besides regular costs like admission fees, caution money, annual fees, and tuition fees, the school charges Rs 8,400 for the parent orientation.

The total amount due at the time of admission is Rs 1,51,656, not including the orientation fee that must be paid when enrolling.

Internet users were quick to express their shock and amusement at the steep orientation fee.

An X user and oncologist Dr Vineet Govinda Gupta wrote, "People will spend for their children what they will never do for themselves. That is why expensive coaching centers, schools, colleges are proliferating like crazy." Another user Jiten S (@a_jiten) asked, "Rs 55000 Admission fees! Are they admitting in Ivy League preschools?"

Another user Soumendu Mukherji (@SoumenduM) said, "Was lucky in our and children's times. Quality education at a reasonable price. Now it is pure dacoity in the name of education which is also pedestrian. The ownership and revenue sharing models of private schools and colleges tell us clearly about what ails the country."

In another incident that came forward on April this year, a man from Delhi shared that he paid Rs 4.3 lakh for his son’s playschool fees.

Akash Kumar posted on X, saying, “My son’s playschool fee is more than my entire education cost. I hope he learns to play well here.”

He also shared a screenshot showing Rs 10,000 for registration, four term fees of Rs 98,750 each, and an extra annual fee of Rs 25,000.