New Delhi: For many urban families in India, a child’s education has always been seen as the key to a brighter future. But today, that dream is coming with a growing price tag. The steady and often steep rise in school fees is no longer just a budgeting issue but it’s also becoming a major source of anxiety for parents. From cutting back on expenses to postponing savings goals, households are increasingly adjusting their lifestyles and financial plans just to keep up with the cost of schooling.

School fees don’t just test a parent’s income.

They test their silence.

Every year, the number rises.

And parents quietly adjust life around it.

Fewer vacations. Delayed dreams. Extra shifts.

No complaints. Just quiet sacrifice.

We are told it’s for “quality education.”

But…

— Dr SHRADDHEY KATIYAR (@Wegiveyouhealt1) February 3, 2026

When School Fees Begin to Weigh on Families

For many parents, rising school fees are not just figures on a receipt but they carry an emotional cost too. Dr Shraddhey Katiyar, a Noida-based doctor, recently shared a heartfelt post on X, drawing attention to the silent stress families experience as education expenses continue to climb. His words struck a chord with many parents who see their own struggles reflected in the issue.

“School fees don’t just test a parent’s income. They test their patience, their silence, and their endurance,” Katiyar wrote. He noted that many families adjust their lives silently by skipping holidays, postponing personal goals, or taking on extra work, simply to ensure their children’s education continues smoothly.

According to him, most parents do not openly complain about rising school fees. Instead, they quietly make adjustments in their daily lives. Family holidays are put on hold, personal ambitions take a back seat, and longer working hours become the norm, all to manage the growing expenses.

“Every year, the number rises. And parents quietly adjust life around it. Fewer vacations. Delayed dreams. Extra shifts. No complaints. Just quiet sacrifice,” he added.

Katiyar also questioned the reasons often given by schools for repeated fee hikes. He pointed out that even though parents are told the higher fees will improve the quality of education, classrooms continue to remain crowded and teachers’ salaries do not always reflect those increases. “Education should not feel like a monthly threat,” he wrote, stressing that learning must remain a basic right and not turn into a financial strain.

He further warned that when education starts feeling like a luxury instead of a necessity, many deserving children risk being left behind, and families are left emotionally drained. “Education should lift families up, not leave them exhausted. Children often realise later that their parents bore the cost quietly,” Katiyar noted.

Parents Share Their Concerns

Many parents say the financial pressure begins much earlier than expected, sometimes as early as playschool. Ishani Bhatt, a mother of a 2.5 year old living in Greater Noida West, says education costs start piling up right from toddlerhood.

“My child goes to a reputed playschool, but the expenses are steep. For 3-4 hours, you will shell out Rs 6-7k per month, not to take into account the one-time admission fee, which was nearly Rs40,000. Initially, we were told that this would cover all extra curriculum activity expenses, but every other day, there’s some expense or the other, albeit small ones,” she says.

Bhatt explains that apart from direct fees, there are several indirect expenses too. “Even if they are not direct expenses, there are several indirect expenses. For instance, schools will have different ‘days’ – say tomorrow is ‘purple colour day’. Schools ask parents to send wards in clothes of that shade. Now if they don’t have that colour, parents often end up buying new clothes. While our school doesn’t make it mandatory, yet as a parent, you might feel your child should not be the one feeling left out. These create indirect pressure. Then again recently, school charged around Rs 500 for a photobook of class picture. There are several such instances. So we are left wondering what were the extracurricular fees that we paid at the beginning of the season for?”

She adds that education should remain a right and not feel like a privilege that only some families can afford, and that this principle should apply right from playgroup and nursery.