10 January,2011 08:05 AM IST | | Alifiya Khan
Million dollar baby is probably an apt description for the new age toddler. While playschools were almost a taken-for-granted concept in the past, these days sending your kid to a playschool is no child's play in terms of money.
With a variety of playschools coming up to offer world-class education, the private sector is making a killing in this industry.
The fact is that getting an MBA or a degree in film direction is likely to be cheaper than a playschool admission these days.
If you do not believe it, then sample this.
Top playschools or pre-nursery admissions can cost you anything from an average of Rs 1.2 lakh at a medium-budget global education school to Rs 2.8 lakh annually at costlier schools. For example, kindergarten admission at Sharad Pawar International School or Symbiosis International School costs between Rs 2.2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh, depending on whether the parents are Indians or expats. And this is cheaper than another international school run by an automobile major where the fees are said to be between Rs 2.6 lakh and Rs 2.8 lakh annually.
Shocking, if you compare these costs to an MBA at the University of Pune that costs Rs 1.8 lakh for two years or spending Rs 2.3 lakh yearly at the reputable Symbiosis Institute of Business Management for the executive MBA degree.
Even degrees like film direction at the Film and Television Institute of India or a first year engineering degree at
the College of Engineering, Pune, are cheaper at around Rs 41,000 annually in tuition.
Unregulated sector
Despite several protests over the "unreasonable" and high fees charged by pre-schools, there has been no change in the situation. The reason is the pre-school sector is largely unregulated. Apart from the capitation fee act, which prohibits educational institutions from asking for donations from students in any form, there are no laws governing the fee hikes in schools, especially those affiliated to foreign boards.
"Despite the fact that complaints have been filed under the capitation fee act, no movement has taken place
in this regard. Cases are pending for years, and school managements have become fearless," said Jayant Jain, president of the All India Federation of Parents Teachers Association.
Besides exorbitant charges, hiking of fees has been another subject of debate. A parent at Podar International School, Pimpri, had filed a police complaint after the school nearly doubled its fees from Rs 21,000 to Rs 38,000 for tuition, besides demanding Rs 7,000 as activity fee; the school allegedly refused to hand over the report card unless a certain amount was paid.
Swati Popat, president of Podar Education Network, refused to comment on the fee issue, but said that the network offered world-class education and a new approach to education.
Schools' stand
Most pre-schools that charge high fees claimed that they did so because they had superior facilities to offer, besides a different approach to education.
IB schools like Victorious Educares reportedly charge Rs 1.2 lakh yearly for pre-school education for following internationally recognised world-class education while schools like Vidya Valley charge around Rs 1.05 lakh for following ICSE curriculum, but their teacher to parent ratio is said to be one of the best.
"Our curriculum and teaching methods are unique; it is truly an international approach. We have a child-focused curriculum that is more activity based and we help the child grow through inquiry. We also believe in participation of parents and all round development of child," said Monisha Pandit, programme manager at Vivero International School. "And because of our global outlook, we have students from 16 nationalities here. Most of our students are children of expats; it's a niche audience."
The school currently charges around Rs 90,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh, depending on the timings of the batch.
Shweta Patnaik, a resident of Pimple Saudagar whose daughter studies at Challenger Nursery School, said, "The school authorities have increased the annual fee from Rs 20,000 to Rs 24,000. Though parents keep complaining that nursery schools are charging high amounts, there isn't much we can do. My friend's daughter is studying at Wisdom School and they are charging Rs 75,000, which is very unfair. Either we stop sending kids to popular schools or stop cribbing about the high fee structure."
