'Preschool fun should not be this expensive': Entrepreneur questions ₹1.5 lakh donation for 2-year-old's admission

Pritesh Lakhani shared his experience on X while discussing his search for a preschool for his daughter, who recently turned 2.

An Ahmedabad-based entrepreneur’s post about the alleged donation being sought for his 2-year-old daughter’s preschool admission has sparked a discussion on social media about the cost of early education in India.

The entrepreneur claimed that the donation fee for the first year of preschool was ₹1.25 lakh. (Unsplash/Representational image)

Pritesh Lakhani shared his experience on X while discussing his search for a preschool for his daughter, who recently turned 2. He said that a parent at one of the schools told him that a ₹1.5 lakh donation was mandatory for admission.

“1.5 lakh donation to get admission for a 2-year-old kid,” Lakhani wrote in his post. He said that his family was exploring preschools with the hope that their daughter would not have to change schools later.

The entrepreneur said that the parent he spoke to claimed that the donation was mandatory and that the school could otherwise conduct an assessment of the child and parents, potentially reject them and charge a higher amount. He further claimed that the first-year preschool donation fee was ₹1.25 lakh.

“Preschool fun should not be this expensive,” Lakhani added.

What did social media say?

The post sparked a discussion on X, with several users questioning the practice of charging large amounts for preschool admission and suggesting alternatives such as homeschooling.

“Donation is mandatory in every aspect of education in India now. Hence people chose homeschooling. But that requires a lot of time from parents,” one user wrote.

Another questioned the alleged assessment process, writing, “How can they test a 2 year old for pre-school? Clearly, you’ve chosen the wrong school. Likes of you should see this red flag and move away.”

A third user argued that parents should look beyond conventional schools and focus on practical skills. “These so called famous schools and pre schools are actually preparing your kids for a future that will not exist after 2035. It is better you find a school that focuses on preparing your kids for real life skills. As you said preschool should be fun. Try home schooling,” the user wrote.

“Preschool as a concept is not necessary and just exists to milk out more money right games/collaboration with other kids is what any kid should be doing at this age,” said another X user.

“homeschool. something like education is too important to be outsourced to unqualified incompetent twats at inflated prices,” wrote one user.