All About Child Education Costs in India

As a parent, it is the most important thing to prepare for your child’s better future financially. It is essential to consider how much it is going to cost. Parents in India appreciate and know the importance of a school and college education. But they often forgo it considering the costs and their economic conditions. It usually adversely affects the child’s dreams of getting a good education, which in turn affects employment possibilities, especially in today’s competitive world, where even beginner-level jobs require bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

In modern India, education spreads wider and wider into the remote sections of society. The new and developed education system tries to embrace as many learners as possible. Read on to learn more about the education system and child education costs in India.

Education System in India

Until a few centuries ago, education was delivered by a few educators and saints and could only reach a small selected group of people and certain societies. Education began in India with the teaching of traditional elements such as Vedic mathematics, Indian religions, Ayurveda, Environment, Warfare, Literature, etc. There were famous Hindu and Buddhist education centers of learning in India, such as Takshashila and Nalanda. These education centers attracted international students even in the olden ages.

The education system saw a great change during and after colonization. The beginning of the 21st century brought great challenges to the mode of higher education in India. It is a fact that most Indian parents give education their priority. Parents would not compromise on their child’s education and always look forward to providing the best education possible.

There are two types of education sectors in India. One is the private sector, and the other is the government sector. If we compare both the sectors, then in most of cases, private sectors impart better education, but they come at a high cost. The high tuition fee, even for primary schools, helps you realize how high the fee will be for higher education in private colleges. On the other side, in government schools and colleges, the fee is less, but the quality of education is sometimes questionable for non-premiere institutes.

Current Education Plan in India

The current education plan that India follows is the result of several gradual changes and upgrades. After independence, there was no definite education plan and just followed some literacy programs and Education Commissions. The first National Policy on Education of India (India’s educational plan) was introduced in 1968 with modifications in 1986, 1992, and 2020. The current plan follows the 1992 policy as the modifications of the 2020 policy are not yet implemented. Given below is the educational system in India :

• Preschool/Kindergarten – 3 years
• Primary School – 8 years (Classes 1 to 8) (Eligibility for Class 1 is 6 years of age)
• High School – 2 years (Classes 9 and 10)
• Higher Secondary School – 2 years (Classes 11 and 12)
• Graduate College – Mostly 3 or 4 years but can vary depending on the subject
• Post Graduate Colleges – Mostly 2 years but can vary depending on the subject

Preschools in India impart elementary-level education. They give all the necessary foundations required for further studies and basic behavioral development. Different education boards are applicable when it comes to further education from grade 1 onwards. The main goal of these boards is to prepare the students for the important 10th grade. These boards directly examine the 10th grade, whose result is very crucial in further studies. Even though there is no major direct examination before 10th grade, the boards provide syllabi, education schemes, recommended books, etc., for grades 1 to 9. The existing school education boards in India are :

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE)
• National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
• International Baccalaureate (IB) and
• Respective State Education Boards of All Indian states.

After 10th grade, students have the option to select which field of study or trade they wish to pursue. The generally available modes of study for the 11th and 12th grades are science, commerce, and arts. They can also choose to go for diplomas directly after 10th grade. The 12th grade also has an important direct examination that is crucial for college education.

Indian Colleges are under the governance of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or the University Grants Commission (UGC). College education also has high fee structures. That is why people often prefer government colleges that have free education or a very nominal fee. Sometimes the quality of education is not too good, but people overlook it considering the attractive low fee. In India, some premier colleges are the IITs, IIMs, IIScs, AIIMSs, NITs, IISERs, IISTs, NLUs, etc. They impart good education with great scholarship schemes. Students prefer studying at these institutes more than others because of their international recognition.

Child Education Cost in India for Different Levels

All different stages of education in institutes change accordingly. They also change based on the location. The same level of education has different costs in remote locations, towns, cities, and metropolitans. Given below is the average range of all child education cost in India.

• Preschool: As there are plenty of preschools and government-installed Anganwadis, the preschool fee is low compared to other levels. The average cost of preschool education can be around INR 5,000 to 50,000 per annum.
• Primary School: In India, primary schools have standards from 1st to 8th. Primary school can cost around INR 20,000 to 1,00,000 yearly.
• High School: High School is where the fee starts to increase gradually. The fee for classes 9th and 10th is in the range of INR 80,000 to 1,50,000 per annum. And the fee for the 11th and 12th is around INR 20,000 to 3,00,000 per annum, depending on the stream selected.

Diploma, Graduate and Post Graduate College Education in Universities

All diploma, graduate, post-graduate colleges have different fees. The cost of education in India for colleges is around 20,000 to 8,00,000 per annum. It can go up even further for Engineering and Medical colleges. There are also different technical and non-technical certificate courses that students can join after education. These provide trade-specific or employment-specific education and training to students. Their fee also ranges between INR 5,000 and 2,00,000 for the entire course, which can last for a few days or up to a few months.

Research Institutes and Ph.D. Level Education

Research and Doctorate is one of the costliest education levels. The high costs are because of the technical equipment and facilities required for research. Usually, research has funds and scholarships, which makes it cheaper, but without it, the costs of this level can go very high. The funds required for an average 5-year course is around INR 5,00,000 to 20,00,000.

Tips to Efficiently Bear the Child Education Cost in India

From the earlier section, it is evident that if parents have a good financial background, then they have the option to select private schools for their children. If not, they can opt for various savings and investment schemes that can cover the child education cost in India.

Investments are of two major types market dependent and independent schemes. Market-dependent schemes can provide high returns but have risks of invested capital as well. Market-independent or non-linked schemes may have low returns, but they guarantee returns. One thing that you need to take care of about investments is that they should not have high risks. As you are saving this money to bear the expenses of child education cost in India, it should not suffer losses due to volatility.

The most common savings scheme used for children is a fixed deposit. The attractive feature of fixed deposits is that they give guaranteed investment returns and higher interest rates that can beat inflation rates.

Another mode of savings is insurance policies. Insurance policies can offer life cover, health cover, tax savings, retirement incomes, etc. Several major insurance corporations have insurance that also serves the purpose of investment. Unit Linked Insurance Policies or ULIPs are schemes that have investment potential along with insurance cover. They are schemes that invest your premiums in investment bonds of various risks. You can research which bonds or combinations of bonds are suitable and select the ones according to your preference.

People also invest in various other schemes that provide high returns. Some examples are gold, assets, shares, savings schemes, recurring deposits, etc. The benefit of investing in schemes that are for children is that the government provides special benefits for them. Interest rates for children-specific schemes are also high in comparison to other schemes. The government also gives special tax deductions for such schemes.