Gurugram CEO's blunt warning to parents on why rich schools may make kids feel poor

The co-founder and CEO of a Gurugram-based company has issued a blunt warning to parents against stretching their finances to send their children to expensive schools, arguing that such environments may leave them feeling financially inferior to their classmates.

“Indian parents, don’t send your kids to a rich school if you’re not rich,” Jasveer Singh, co-founder and CEO of Knot Dating, wrote in his post on X, arguing that the right school is not necessarily the most expensive one.

Parents often focus on the quality and prestige of a school while overlooking the social environment their children experience there, he said, adding: “A great school means nothing if your child feels poor every single day.”

In his opinion, parents and children may remember the same childhood differently. While parents may feel they gave their child more than they could afford, the child might believe they received less than everyone around them.

Illustrating his point, Singh described a situation in which a child is picked up from school in a Maruti while classmates arrive in BMWs: “Your child may tell you - ‘Papa, don't bring the car to the school gate, park a little further away I'll walk there.’”

The child might begin feeling embarrassed about things they had never considered shameful before entering the school. Singh, thus, explained that children compare everyday visible markers of wealth, including lunch boxes, shoes, birthday parties, pocket money, school trips, bags, phones and after-school activities.

He added that children may not directly tell their parents they cannot afford certain experiences. Instead, they might say they do not want to attend a birthday party, visit a restaurant or participate in an activity.

“The hiding becomes excuse-making, child feels inferior,” Singh said, adding that parents might interpret the child's withdrawal as introversion when it could instead be a way of avoiding situations they cannot afford.

Singh also cautioned parents against confusing the ability to pay school fees with the ability to comfortably manage the wider expenses associated with a wealthy school environment.

“Education is not about school fees or fancy infrastructure. It’s about building confidence, exploring yourself and uplifting yourself,” he said.

Read the entire post here: His post drew reactions from social media users, with several agreeing that the financial and emotional pressures associated with school environments deserve more attention.

“Very sharp observation,” one user commented.

Another highlighted the financial trade-off involved in stretching one's budget for an expensive school, writing that doing so could mean less money for a child's education fund and investments: “Both the emotional cost and the compounding opportunity cost get missed in that decision.”

“Yes true, affording tuition isn’t the same thing as affording the social ecosystem around the school,” another person wrote.

While parents may view an expensive education as an investment in their child’s future, Jasveer Singh’s argument was that a school should help children build confidence and discover their potential, rather than make them feel inadequate because of their family’s financial circumstances.- EndsPublished By: Raya GhoshPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 13:43 IST