A note before we begin:
This blog is not a criticism of teachers or of any particular school. Many educators work with genuine dedication under difficult conditions. This is about a system-wide pattern that research has documented globally — and about helping parents ask better questions about what they are paying for.
Introduction
Not long ago, a matriculation year cost around 1,800.
And even that felt heavy. Parents worried about it. Budgets were adjusted. Sacrifices were made.
Today, in many places, play group — where a child learns colours, sings songs, and plays — costs two to three lakh a year.
Not matriculation. Play group.
And here is the question almost no one asks out loud:
Did the learning improve by the same measure that the fees did?
Research says something uncomfortable.
What the Research Actually Shows
The global picture is not one of improvement. It is one of decline.
According to a joint report by the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF and other agencies, learning poverty — the share of children who cannot read and understand a simple text by age 10 — rose from 57% before the pandemic to an estimated 70% in low- and middle-income countries. In South Asia, the figure is predicted at 78%, up from 60% pre-pandemic.
This generation of students now risks losing $21 trillion in potential lifetime earnings — the equivalent of 17% of today’s global GDP.
Schools worldwide were closed for an average of 22 weeks — about two-thirds of an academic year. Research indicates that distance learning was not sufficient to prevent significant learning losses.
This is not a local problem. It happened everywhere.
The Part That Should Worry Every Parent
Now here is the finding that changes how we should think about fees.
Money was spent. A great deal of it.
In one major education system, $190 billion was directed toward schools specifically to address pandemic learning losses. And the result? Eighth-grade scores did not rise, or even hold steady — they declined further. The reading decline in the years after the pandemic was almost as large as the fall during it.
Read that again.
Enormous sums were spent. Scores kept falling.
And if massive institutional funding could not reverse the decline — what exactly is a rising school fee purchasing?
So What Are Parents Actually Paying For?
This is the question worth sitting with honestly.
Buildings. Air conditioning, furniture, facilities — real costs, but not learning.
Marketing. Banners, brochures, admission campaigns.
Positions and prizes. And this deserves particular attention.
When a school conducts its own examinations, sets its own papers, marks them internally, and then awards positions to its own students — what has actually been measured?
The child’s ability? Or the school’s need to keep parents satisfied?
Parents see the certificate and feel reassured. The following year, the fee rises again.
A position awarded within a closed system is not evidence of achievement. It is a marketing instrument.
And as we explored in our blog on comparison, ranking children produces measurable harm — lower motivation, damaged self-esteem, and a gap that widens simply because it was declared.
The Question Research Raises About the Early Years
There is one more dimension that makes the fee question sharper.
As we covered in detail in “Is Three Too Soon?” — research consistently indicates that formal academic instruction before ages five to seven produces no lasting advantage. Finland, whose system ranks among the world’s best, does not begin formal schooling until seven.
And Islamic guidance points in the same direction. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Command your children to pray when they are seven years old.” (Abu Dawud)
Even for an act of worship, seven was the age given.
So when a family pays two or three lakh a year for a three-year-old to sit in a classroom — they are paying a great deal for something that research suggests is not developmentally necessary yet.
And in many cases, may be actively counterproductive.
What Actually Builds a Child — And What It Costs
Here is what decades of research consistently identify as the foundation of early development:
| What matters | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Being read to daily | Free — a library card |
| Free, unstructured play | Free |
| Time outdoors, in nature | Free |
| Real conversation with an adult | Free |
| Adequate sleep | Free |
| Feeling safe and genuinely loved | Free |
| Participating in real household tasks | Free |
None of these appear on a fee structure.
And all of them are more strongly supported by research than anything a play group provides at two lakh a year.
This Is Not an Argument Against School
Let us be clear.
Schools serve real purposes. Many children thrive in them. Many teachers change lives. And for many families, school is the right and necessary choice.
This is an argument for asking better questions.
- What is my child actually receiving for this fee?
- Is the learning improving, or only the invoice?
- What does this position or certificate actually measure?
- What is my child getting here that they could not get at home, for free?
These are not hostile questions. They are the questions of a parent paying attention.
Because a fee that rises every year while outcomes fall every year is not an investment. It is a habit.
What Charades4Kids Offers Instead
This is precisely why Charades4Kids exists — and why every article on it is free.
“Like a grandfather’s story — teaching beautiful lessons for life, through play, not pressure.”
In twenty minutes of charades, a child develops:
- 🗣️ Language — new words, used and understood
- 🧠 Thinking — decoding, reasoning, adapting
- 🤝 Social skills — reading others, taking turns
- 💪 Confidence — contributing something that matters
- ❤️ Connection — with the people who matter most
Cost: nothing.
And these are the same outcomes that expensive early-years programmes promise on their brochures.
So What Should a Parent Actually Do?
1. Before paying, ask three specific questions:
- What does my child receive here that they cannot receive at home?
- How is progress measured — and by whom?
- What exactly has increased this year, apart from the fee?
A school confident in its work will answer these calmly.
2. Match the school to the child’s age, not to social pressure:
Under five — the priority is play, language, movement, and rest. An expensive programme adds little here. Save the money.
Five to seven — watch for readiness signs: can follow instructions, focus for 15 minutes, express needs in words.
3. Build the foundation at home — regardless of school:
- Read aloud, every day
- Let them help with real work
- Protect outdoor time and sleep
- Talk with them — properly, without a screen nearby
- Play together, twenty minutes, phones away
This is not extra. Research places it at the centre.
4. Consider whether school is the right fit at all:
For some families, home education works better. It requires genuine time and commitment — but it is a legitimate option, not a radical one.
5. Stop measuring your child against the invoice:
A high fee does not obligate your child to perform. And a position certificate does not define them.
What defines them is whether they are curious, confident, and secure — and none of that appears on a report card.
A Final Word
The fee rises every year. That much is certain.
What is far less certain is whether the learning rises with it. Global research suggests it has not — not during the pandemic, and not in the years since, even where enormous money was spent.
So ask the question. Politely, but ask it.
Not because schools are the enemy. But because you are the one paying — and your child is the one whose years are passing.
And remember what research places at the foundation of a child’s development: presence, play, conversation, sleep, and love.
Not one of those has a fee structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has learning quality actually declined globally?
Yes. A joint World Bank, UNESCO and UNICEF report found learning poverty rose from 57% to an estimated 70% in low- and middle-income countries, with South Asia at 78%. This generation risks losing $21 trillion in lifetime earnings. Schools worldwide closed for an average of 22 weeks, and distance learning did not prevent significant losses.
Does spending more money on education improve outcomes?
Not automatically. In one major system, $190 billion was directed toward recovery — and eighth-grade scores declined further rather than recovering. The post-pandemic reading decline was almost as large as the decline during the pandemic itself. This suggests that funding alone does not produce learning.
Why do schools award positions to their own students?
When a school sets its own papers, marks them internally, and awards its own positions, the result measures performance within a closed system — not independently verified achievement. It also functions as reassurance for parents. Research on comparison shows that ranking children damages motivation and self-esteem rather than improving performance.
Is it worth paying high fees for pre-school and play group?
Research consistently indicates that formal academic instruction before ages five to seven produces no lasting advantage. Finland does not begin formal schooling until seven and ranks among the world’s best systems. What the early years genuinely require — play, conversation, reading aloud, sleep, outdoor time, and secure attachment — costs nothing.
What should parents do instead?
Ask specific questions about what the fee provides. Understand what research says the early years actually need. And invest in what genuinely builds a child: daily reading, free play, real conversation, adequate sleep, participation in household life, and consistent presence. Charades4Kids provides free, research-based resources on all of these.
https://charades4kids.com/blog/when-everyone-questions-your-homeschooling-decision