'A child’s future should not feel like monthly threat': Noida doctor flags rising school fees in viral X post

Shraddhey Katiyar drew attention to the steady annual increase in school fees and the limited space parents feel they have to question these hikes.

A post shared on X by Noida-based doctor Shraddhey Katiyar has gained significant traction online, prompting renewed discussion around rising school fees and the financial pressure faced by families across urban India.

In the post, Katiyar drew attention to the steady annual increase in school fees and the limited space parents feel they have to question these hikes. Without referring to specific institutions, he described how households often respond to fee increases by cutting back on personal expenses, postponing plans, or taking on additional work, rather than raising objections publicly.

Katiyar questioned the justification frequently offered for higher charges, particularly claims linked to improved educational standards. He pointed to persistent issues such as large class sizes and low teacher pay, suggesting that parents continue to experience stress despite paying more each year. His post also raised concerns about the long-term impact on families, arguing that schooling should not place households under continuous financial strain or force difficult trade-offs.

The post further argued that parents are willing to invest in their children’s education, but often do so in the absence of meaningful alternatives. According to Katiyar, when access to schooling becomes increasingly expensive, it risks limiting opportunity rather than expanding it.

"A child’s future should not feel like a monthly threat. Education was meant to uplift families, not exhaust them. To create thinkers, not debt managers. Parents don’t hesitate to spend on their children. They hesitate because they have no choice," Katiyar wrote.

School fees don’t just test a parent’s income. They test their silence.

Every year, the number rises. And parents quietly adjust life around it. Fewer vacations. Delayed dreams. Extra shifts. No complaints. Just quiet sacrifice. We are told it’s for “quality education.” But… — Dr SHRADDHEY KATIYAR (@Wegiveyouhealt1) February 3, 2026

The comments section quickly filled with responses from users sharing similar frustrations and broader critiques of the education system.

One user wrote, “Too much unnecessary expenses. Quality of teaching is low and lavish schools is priority it seems.”

Another questioned the lack of collective resistance, asking, “Why don't these middle class people ever get out collectively? There are many issues that ruin their life, yet they never show up together?”

Some responses went further, criticising what they described as a profit-driven approach to schooling. One user commented, “Our school system is mostly a waste. Not sure about the IBs of the world, but most of the others are just running, making money, without putting any substantial effort towards the kids. They feel like a factory delivering low quality output, which is not going to be useful.”

Others raised concerns about the absence of scrutiny over whether costs are proportionate to outcomes. “And we never question if the quality matches the price tag, or if there might be a better way,” one comment read.

A more critical response rejected mainstream schooling altogether, with a user stating, “We are brainwashed to believe school is mandatory, no matter how expensive or useless. Not me. I’ll homeschool my kids via NIOS/open boards and through real learning, AI, books, apprenticeships. Schools are dumb factories and money-laundering mafias.”