A school fee is easy to put on paper. The cost of getting an education is harder to calculate. There are books to buy, journeys to make, exams to prepare for and sometimes, a family income that cannot stretch any further. For many students in India, these everyday expenses shape their choices long before they reach a classroom.
We tend to talk about access in terms of enrollment. Is there a school nearby? Can a student secure a college seat? Those questions matter, but they tell only part of the story. Being admitted is not the same as being able to attend regularly, learn well and make use of the opportunities that follow.
The numbers offer a glimpse of the pressure on families. According to the government's Comprehensive Modular Survey on Education, 2025, households spent an average of Rs 2,863 per student in government schools, compared with Rs 25,002 in non-government schools during the surveyed academic year. These figures reflect different costs, not differences in educational quality. The survey also found that 27 per cent of school students were taking or had taken private coaching. Tuition outside school may be optional on paper, but in an intensely competitive environment, many parents struggle to see it that way.
Money is only one part of the problem. A student who spends two hours travelling each day has less time to study or rest. A household with one shared phone cannot always make the most of digital lessons or online application processes. A girl may have the grades to continue her education but still face concerns about safe transport or the cost of living away from home. These circumstances can limit choices even when a student is willing and able to learn.
The gap often becomes sharper after school. A student might qualify for a course in another city, only to find that accommodation, food and travel cost more than the family can manage. Others take up part-time work, delay further study or choose a course closer to home. None of these decisions necessarily reflects a lack of ability. Yet they can affect the careers students eventually enter.
This is why affordability cannot be reduced to lowering tuition fees alone. Scholarships matter, but so do reliable transport, affordable hostels, access to libraries, clear information about financial aid and academic support for students who arrive with learning gaps. The timing matters too. A scholarship received months after fees are due may do little for a student who had to decline admission.
A good teacher who notices that a child is falling behind can be as important as a new digital platform. Career guidance can help students identify routes they may not know exist, from vocational courses to apprenticeships and degree programmes. Such support is especially valuable when no one at home has navigated higher education before.
There is also a need to question what we count as success. More enrolments and new campuses are encouraging signs, but they reveal little about whether students finish their courses, gain useful skills or find work that matches their training. Institutions and policymakers need to pay closer attention to the distance between admission and a meaningful outcome.
No family should have to choose between keeping a child in education and meeting basic needs. If a student can enter a classroom but cannot afford to remain there, we have counted a seat, not an opportunity. Education opens doors only when students have a fair chance to walk through them.
The author is the founder & CEO of Masai School
