A prominent international school in Bengaluru has found itself at the centre of a heated debate after details of its ₹7.35 lakh annual fee for Grade 1 students surfaced online. The 2025–26 academic year fee structure, widely shared on social media, has sparked questions about affordability, regulation, and the widening gap in access to quality education.
The viral tweet that started the debate
The controversy picked up steam after a tweet by an account named D.Muthukrishnan posted a screenshot of the fee structure, with the caption highlighting how “even ₹50 lakh IT couples can’t afford this school”. The post quickly went viral, garnering thousands of likes, retweets, and heated discussions in the comments section.Many users expressed shock at the numbers, while others debated whether global-standard education justifies such a cost. Screenshots from the tweet have since spread across Instagram and WhatsApp groups, amplifying the debate further.
Fee structure raises eyebrows
The school’s official fee details reveal a steep cost across grades:
- Grades 1–5: ₹7.35 lakh per year
- Grades 6–8: ₹7.75 lakh per year
- Grades 9–10: ₹8.5 lakh per year
- Grades 11–12: ₹11 lakh per year
Additionally, parents must pay a non-refundable admission fee of ₹1 lakh, pushing the initial cost for new students even higher.
Public reactions: ‘Why people don’t want kids anymore’
The viral tweet triggered widespread discussion on X and Instagram. Many users expressed disbelief that even dual-income IT couples earning ₹50 lakh annually feel the pinch.However, some defended the pricing, arguing that premium international education comes at a cost. Advocates claim the fees reflect state-of-the-art infrastructure, low student-teacher ratios, and global curricula like IB and Cambridge, which many parents actively seek.The outrage comes amid a broader trend of sharp fee hikes in Bengaluru’s private schools, with annual increases often ranging from 10% to 30%. According to parent associations, these hikes have continued despite previous protests and petitions.
Education a luxury?
The Bengaluru case reflects a wider national trend, where urban families are spending up to nine times more on education than their rural counterparts. Top international schools in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad also charge ₹6–10 lakh annually, excluding add-on costs.This has sparked an uncomfortable question: Is quality education becoming a luxury product in India? Critics say the growing gap risks excluding even upper-middle-class families from elite schooling options.
What next? Parent pressure mounts
Parent groups are now pushing for state-level committees to review and approve private school fee structures. Some suggest linking annual hikes to inflation, while others argue the free market should prevail, leaving parents to choose schools based on affordability.For now, the debate continues online, with many asking whether India’s private education system is pricing out the very demographic it seeks to serve.
