Hyderabad: The cost of quality education in India has long been a subject of concern, but a recent viral post about a Hyderabad school’s nursery fee has reignited fierce debate online with parents, professionals and education advocates calling for urgent regulation of private school fees.

The spark? A detailed fee structure doing the rounds on social media reveals that a prominent private school is charging an eye-watering ₹2.51 lakh for nursery admission for the 2025–26 academic year. That amounts to roughly ₹21,000 per month for a child just beginning preschool.

What the fee includes

According to the viral post, the ₹2.51 lakh charge is broken down into:

Tuition Fee: ₹1,91,000 (four installments)

Admission Fee: ₹5,000

Initiation Fee: ₹45,000 (four installments)

Refundable Deposit: ₹10,000

And that’s just the beginning. The post also lists fees for higher classes:

Pre-Primary I (PPI): ₹2,72,400

Pre-Primary II (PPII): ₹2,72,400

Classes I & II: ₹2,91,460

Classes III to V: ₹3,22,350

These numbers have left middle-class families and social media users stunned.

The outrage online has been swift and vocal. Thousands have weighed in, criticising the lack of regulation in the private education sector and the commodification of learning.

“This entire process has become a sort of scam. Certain things need to be regulated effectively,” one user wrote.

Another commented, “We all want quality education to be free for every child no one will oppose that. But instead of investing in real reform, the government drains the treasury on endless freebies for vote banks.”

Many pointed out the contradiction in India’s legal framework, where private schools are supposed to be “not-for-profit” institutions.

“That too when schools in India are mandated to be not-for-profits. But, they have found ways to make huge profits,” a user noted.

Another user compared it to premium institutions, writing, “The annual tuition fee for kindergarten at Dhirubhai Ambani International School is approximately Rs 1,400,000 (14 lakh).”

One particularly pointed response stated, “The schools are using Thier brand MERIT and asking a fees, it's called capitalism.”

Amid rising inflation and stagnant incomes, parents are questioning how such exorbitant fees can be justified particularly for pre-primary education. The viral post has intensified calls for government intervention, with many demanding a regulatory framework to cap private school fees.