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' ₹1.24 lakh quarterly nursery fee': Gurgaon founder's post on rising school costs sparks discussion
The founder humorously said that she was considering homeschooling and investing the same amount into a SIP instead.
A LinkedIn post by a Gurugram-based founder has triggered a discussion around the rising cost of education in urban India, after she revealed the fee structure for her child’s nursery admission.
Pooja Setia, founder of The People Studio, shared that she is expected to pay ₹1,24,780 per quarter for the 2026–27 academic session. The fees, spread across three quarters from July to March, amount to nearly ₹3.7 lakh annually - a figure that quickly caught attention online.
“This screenshot is NOT a joke! It is the quarterly fee structure of my kiddo, who is starting nursery this year,” Setia wrote. She added, humorously, that she was considering homeschooling and investing the same amount into a SIP instead. “At least that way, I’ll be sure he graduates with a solid corpus, even if his handwriting is questionable,” she said.
(Also Read: ‘Gurgaon ke entitled parents’: Mom slams irresponsible parenting in viral video)
How did social media react?
Setia’s post struck a chord with many, prompting users to weigh in with comparisons and criticism.
Reacting to the post, one user wrote, “In this one quarter's fee, I completed my entire graduation and post-graduation and was still left with money to pursue an HTML course.”
“Not surprised at all Pooja. This is quite the norm in Gurgaon, where fee structures are unregulated (unlike in Delhi). Wait till you see the International Board fee,” commented another.
“This is so true. Especially with AI being the future, not sure how much value will degrees have. Though the peer learning might be missing, which will also be a key learning style,” wrote a third user.
“I think schooling makes no sense these days. 90% of the stuff we studied is useless. Same will go for the kids of today’s generation. Home schooling is the best. Put them into any sport activities. Normal science concepts can be learnt in a day or two,” said another.
However, several users pointed out that expensive schooling is often a choice rather than a necessity.
One user wrote, “You have options. There are cheaper schools too. We have a habit of pleasing society and false veil of success. You have options. No one is keeping a gun on you to pay this. Only if you can't afford it but still want to do it - then you will feel this. Think about yourself.”
“You may use this as content and might crib over the fee, but you know it pretty well that the school didn't invite you or fool you into choosing it. You consciously chose the school while having an idea of the approximate fee. You had to massage your ego in the name of offering "quality education" to your child and you therefore chose a school which although offers education at a price that pinches you, yet you chose it because it feels good to be visiting that school to attend PTMs and telling everyone about it,” commented another.
“Its not like you don't have alternate options. Paying it so expensive is a choice. Not a compulsion,” wrote one user.
