Education inflation: Growing stress on urban parenting

India is hopeful of becoming a knowledge-driven economy, but the increasing cost of education is broadening the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots

- RACHNA MAHESHWARI, OP

Quality education has become a privilege for most parents in urban cities. Families are under financial stress as the cost of schooling continues to climb sharply. Gone are the days when school fees were not a section in the monthly budget schedule. Now, parents are allocating a significant chunk of their household income to schooling expenses.

Recently, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) highlights the surge in school fees between 2012 and 2022. In the charts, the annual cost per student has surged from ₹5,856 in 2008 to ₹12,345 in 2018 in rural areas. However, in urban setups, the course fee has increased from ₹12,000 to ₹28,000. This is now almost double the amount compared to the last decade.

It would be interesting to note that the recent inflation report has shown an increase in education inflation. The country's education inflation is in the highest category, standing at 4.13 per cent (April 2025)