Parent spending on a single child at primary/secondary education has gone up from Rs. 35,000/- in 2005 to over Rs. 94,000/- in 2011 on such items and activities as integral to the school curriculum, such as fees, transport books, uniform, stationery, building fund, educational trips, extra tuitions and extracurricular activities, reveals an ASSOCHAM assessment.
These findings are arrived at a random survey done under aegis of the Associated Chamber of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) on“Parents wary of rising education cost of kids” of young parents for their children education.
The survey highlights that the rising cost of education, has become a major cause of worry for parents. Majority of Parents nearly spend on average more than 18Lakh – 20 Lakh in raising a child by the time their teen graduates from high school.
In a random survey, nearly 2000 working parents were interviewed in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Dehradun, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai Chandigarh etc by the ASSOCHAM research team in months of Jan-March 2011 in which it came to limelight that parents find difficult in meeting their ward’s education cost.
The survey showed that parents invest an average 40 percent of their income in their children’s education. The cost of education is increasing every year, parallel to the inflation, said Mr. D S Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM.
56% of the Parents said that they are interested in their children futures; complain that they are forced to make their children quit extra-curricular activities such as dancing, music or art lessons, sports or foreign language tutoring due to cost factor and time constraint.
The school expenses excluding tution fees have risen from Rs. 35,000 in 2005 to Rs.65,000 per annum in 2011 that too on a single child. While the annual income on an average well off parents have not risen by more than 28% to 32% during the corresponding period.
The other expenses include uniforms, books, stationery, transport, sports activities, school trips, contributions to schools funds, school aids, tuitions, extra co-curricular expenses for learning, highlight the survey.
65% of parents spend more than half their take-home pay on their children’s education, extra co-curricular activities placing significant burden on their family budget.
An estimated over 40 million children are now educated in private schools, with fees usually rising well above inflation. Parents have to spend sleepness nights worrying about how they are going to pay for what their child needs simply to go to school. It is hurting their budget, said Mr. Rawat.78% of the parents said that an average family, where only one member works, it’s impossible to pay even one child’s education.
Transport is one of the most expensive components of a child’s schooling. This costs parents an average of 12,000 per child per year. Parents spend 9,600 per child per year on lunches. Packed lunches cost more than school lunches on an average.
Footwear works out as being more expensive than textbooks. Shoes cost parents 3,000 -5,000 per child per year. The schools forces to buy uniform, text book, stationery, shoes etc. from school shops which is three times higher than the normal price so that they can charge whatever price they choose in the absence of competition.
Private Tuitions have also witnessed a increase of about 45%-60% in the last 10 years as during this period majority of middle class parents have been spending of their monthly incomes on them.
It also estimates that 68% of parents nearly spend Rs. 3,000-5,000 monthly on education for each primary-level child. Secondary-level tuition set parents back by about Rs.6, 000-10,000/- monthly. Parents said that they are willing to fork out such sums because tuition and extra co-curricular activities is increasingly seen as a necessity as well as child wants to engage. Many school conveniently push the ball back to parents, to tell them to engage private tutors for their kids.
Tutoring services have become increasingly fashionable in recent years. However, the pressure to do well in exams is not the only reason parents are seeking out private tutors. The survey reveals that the rush for private tuition is more a consequence of the “exam phobia” that has gripped the country in the past ten years.
56% of the children said that their parents have time but they can’t afford the extracurricular activities like boxing, music, swimming etc. The family with two children calculated that if one child goes to dance and music school, to tutors of English and mathematics, as well as sport e.g. swimming, which is very good for a child’s health, the monthly fees would be 4,000-6,000 Rs per child. And the same activities cost for younger children also.
AVERAGE EXPENSES FOR SINGLE PARENT IN THE YEAR 2011
Cost | Annual Cost- For One Child | Annual Cost- For Two Children |
School Expenses | ||
| 3000 | 6,000 |
| 3500 | 7,000 |
| 1800 | 3500 |
| 3500 | 7000 |
| 4500 | 8500 |
| 3800 | 7000 |
| 2500 | 4000 |
| 2500 | 3800 |
| 36000 | 75000 |
| 15,000-25,000 | 30,000 |
| 3500 | 5500 |
| 3000 | 5600 |
Tuition/ coaching Expenses | ||
| 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 8,000/- | 10,000 |
Extra Co-curricular Expense | ||
| 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 4,000 | 8,000 |
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