Viral Post: A recent social media frenzy surrounds a 1970s school fee card issued by St Jude’s School, Mumbai. The image has people talking about how drastically education costs in Mumbai have changed over the years. The card is for the 1974–75 academic year and shows a monthly primary section fee of just ₹12, a figure that leaves today’s parents astounded.
The card is typographically neat, with handwritten entries and official signatures, speaking to a time when school administration felt simpler, and education stayed affordable for most middle-class families. Fees were logged month by month, with no mention of extra charges, tech fees, or activity costs that show up on modern bills.
Parents were not squeezed by large annual payments back then; they didn't have to make long-term financial planning or loans for schooling.
The cost of primary education in Mumbai has risen steeply over the years. Primary reasons contributing to this increase are the upgrading of infrastructure, demand for digital learning, international curricula, rise in salary of staff, and an increase in operational costs.
Fees for primary schooling in Mumbai today range from approximately ₹20,000 to more than ₹1.7 lakh per annum, depending on the kind of school: budget, ICSE, IB, or international. Good schools tend to fall between ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh each year, though actual amounts fluctuate significantly, depending upon a school's prestige and facilities, besides location.
Parents nowadays consider board affiliation, brand, location, amenities, and much more before settling on a school.
The viral post brings nostalgia for older generations and worries for younger parents, who question if higher fees have indeed translated into better learning outcomes. Many voices on social media also point to the growing gap between affordable and premium education and raise concerns about equal access to quality education.
As conversations go on, the fee card reminds silently that education has grown from a fundamental need into one of the largest expenses an urban Indian family incurs.
