“Rs 3 lakhs a year for Jr KG. What exactly are we paying for?” That’s the question a Mumbai mother is asking after a school tour that felt more like a luxury brand pitch than a peek into her 3-year-old’s future.
Sowmya Mani took to LinkedIn to describe her surreal experience inside one of Mumbai’s so-called “international schools.” From being offered cappuccinos in a high-end café-style lobby to filling out forms detailing their work titles and degrees — she says the entire process felt more corporate than educational.
The school tour was meticulously choreographed: smart elevators, slick conference rooms, uniformed caretakers outside each class, and a counselor who confidently linked Mani’s career to the virtues of the Cambridge curriculum.
“KYC done right,” she wrote.
They were shown innovation labs, auditoriums, makerspaces. But something was missing. “The school lacked a soul,” she wrote. No laughter, no chaos — just silence, structure, and branding.
Her husband finally exhaled when they reached the pre-primary floor and heard kids running around.
Then came the price tag — slipped in at the very end. Rs 3 lakh per year for a 3.5-year-old, with an 8% annual hike. “Two children — goodbye annual trips!” Mani wrote.
“Does it make fiscal sense to spend over Rs 6 lakhs per year for Jr KG?”
With no clarity on teaching quality and no room for negotiation, she questioned if the fee was paying for education or optics. “If it’s just about AC classrooms, fancy infrastructure and massive advertising budgets, it’s something to ponder over.”
The clincher? A follow-up call from the school asking her to rate the counselor on a scale of 1 to 5. “Flabbergasted,” she said. “I had just experienced the most elaborate sales pitch of my life.”
