Rising school fees forcing parents to opt for one child: Survey

With private school's increasing their fees by 150 percent in the last decade and standards of government schools falling, a rising number of parents in metro cities are opting for single child, an Assocham survey said on Wednesday.

According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), nine out of 10 parents in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai among others were finding it difficult to meet their child's school expenses.

"School expenses of a single child including tuition fees have risen from Rs. 55,000 in 2005 to Rs.1.25 lakh per annum in 2015, the random survey of around 1,600 working parents conducted between April and May, 2015 revealed.

"The fact that resources and earnings of parents have not kept pace with the increasing expenses on education and health has added to their woes."

As per the survey, over 70 percent of the parents spend 30 to 40 percent of their pay on their child's education.

While the annual fee for a regular school is between Rs. 65,000 to Rs. 1.25 lakh per child, even the pre-schools -- for those aged three to five -- ask for a fee in between Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 75,000 for a a term.

"These expenses include uniforms, books, stationery, transport, sports activities, school trips, contributions to upgrade schools, school aids etc. The total expenses for learning would be many times higher than school fees", said D.S. Rawat, the secretary general, Assocham.

"School costs have risen at more than double the rate of inflation and come amid warnings to parents to plan early for their child's education," he added.