A Reddit post revealing that a Google-employed couple is spending Rs 11.2 lakh annually on school fees for their single child has gone viral, sparking debate about rising education costs and class privilege in urban India. In the post titled "Speechless after seeing 11,20,000 as a school fees for a kid", the anonymous user, who works in a junior role at a small wealth management firm, said that they were left "speechless" after coming across the financial planning document of a young couple who both work at Google and make around Rs 60 lakh per annum combined.
"When i was going through their cashflow on a year I was speechless to see their single kid school fees is around 12 lakh per year," the user wrote. The original poster (OP) noted that while school expenses in the range of Rs 2-6 lakh are not uncommon, this particular figure was significantly higher than anything they had previously encountered.
"I mean this is the first time I came across these kind numbers for school fees i had heard, 2-4 lakh but never more than 5,6 lakh. And here im thinking million times to decide to spend 20-30 lakh on good MBA or not," the original poster (OP) added.
Speechless after seeing 11,20,000 as a school fees for a kid.
byu/ArgumentDependent150 inpersonalfinanceindia
The post was shared by an anonymous user. NDTV has not independently verified the claims.
On Reddit, the post has sparked a discussion around the culture of elite education and class divide.
"What many people don't realize is that money operates like an old boys' club... What you're really buying, whether it's a school, a neighbourhood, or a summer camp, is the opportunity for your kids to be around the affluent, to absorb their mindset, and to make choices as if they already belong. That kind of exposure rewires how they see the world and what they believe is possible," one user commented.
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"There is a constant need for societal approval. With higher positions and higher salaries couples feel the need to up their lifestyle. A part of it is being seen in a school that charges crazy high fees or the one super rich or business men send their kids to. In today's world nothing guarantees success.. or denies a person from getting it. You can go to the most expensive school and achieve nothing or go to a normal school and achieve everything. So ensure your children get the best education they can. Best necessarily doesn't mean super expensive," said another.
"There is a thriving industry of selling overpriced goods and services to newly minted high income people. You can see keywords like "Elite", "Premium", "Exclusive", "Bespoke", "Global", "International" etc in the marketing language of things sold to these kinds of people. When people experience rapid income growth, they lose their sense of proportion. They try to spend a little too much than what's sensible. Like spending 20% of income on child's education. Their kid would have been perfectly fine in a 2L school. But their minds will be telling them "we have so much money, why should we settle for anything but the best?". In their minds expensive = best," a third user wrote.
