Why are parents spending lakhs on nursery admissions?
According to a 2024 report by EducationWorld India, the average annual fee for private pre-schools in metros now ranges from Rs.1.2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. In elite schools, the total cost (including admission, uniforms, transport, and activity fees) can easily cross rs. 4-5 lakh per year.In Delhi, many schools are charging Rs 2-3 lakh for nursery annually excluding admission charges. Parents often feel compelled to pay hefty "voluntary donations" or "development fees," even though the Delhi High Court banned capitation fees under the Delhi School Education Act."We see parents taking personal loans or dipping into savings just to secure a nursery seat," says Amit Vohra, a Delhi-based education consultant. "In some schools, getting in is harder than IIM."BY THE NUMBERSDelhi: 2.3 lakh applications for just 1.25 lakh nursery seats (DoE data, 2024)Mumbai: Average nursery fee is rs 1.8 lakh/year (Edushine survey, 2024)Bengaluru: Premium preschools charge rs 3-4 lakh/year including "one-time charges"NCR: Waitlists start even before birth in some legacy schoolsWHAT PARENTS ARE SAYINGShalini Arora, a single parent in Gurgaon, recalls being told that submitting a LinkedIn profile might "help the application." "It felt like I was being judged as a parent not my child," she says. "And why are we talking about 'personality fit' for a 3-year-old?"Varun Nair, an IT consultant in Bengaluru, shares a darker view: "This is not education. It's a social signal. People pay for the brand, not the curriculum."WHY THIS IS HAPPENING1. Limited Seats, High Demand: Urban migration has created a skewed demand-supply gap.2. Brand Obsession: Tier 1 parents associate certain schools with long-term success.3. Lack of Regulation: Pre-schools are often unregulated, especially those not affiliated with CBSE/ICSE.4. Interview Culture: Despite being technically banned, interviews for parents and kids are widespread.5. School as Status Symbol: Admission becomes a marker of parental achievement.EXPERT TAKEadvertisement"Education inflation is real. Nursery is now where college used to be-in terms of pressure and price," says Dr. Meeta Sengupta, education policy analyst. "This is dangerous because it pushes equity further out of reach."THE EMOTIONAL TOLLMany parents describe anxiety, guilt, and burnout during the admission cycle. WhatsApp groups buzz with tips on "which schools ask what," coaching centers run "nursery interview prep," and some parents resort to fake addresses or income certificates to increase their child's admission chances.A WAKE-UP CALLWhen early childhood education becomes a financial and psychological battleground, it begs a bigger question: Are we chasing quality, or just prestige? Until regulation tightens and quality becomes more evenly distributed across schools, Tier 1 parents will continue to pay lakhs not just for education, but for perceived future security. - Ends
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