The true cost of education in Bangladesh

When my wife told me we were expecting our third child, my first thought wasn't about diaper bags or sleepless nights. It was much scarier than that: "Oh God, can we afford to educate the third one?" It wasn't just the fear of another tuition bill - the deeper anxiety that we might have to compromise on our dreams for all three children, which is the last thing any parent wants.

If you've ever sat down with a calculator and tried to map out the next 20 years of school fees, college savings, and retirement plans - you'll know it's enough to make even the bravest parent faint. In Bangladesh today, the cost of education - especially in English-medium and private schools - has gone through the roof. What used to be a manageable concern back in our days has now turned into a full-blown financial strategy session every few years.

A 2023 BRAC report says the average monthly tuition fee in English-medium schools in Dhaka is between Tk 15,000 to Tk 90,000 per child. And that's just tuition. It doesn't include admission fees, registration, lab charges, exam fees, and the occasional school trip that somehow costs more than a family holiday to Cox's Bazar.

I had dreamed of enrolling my children at Aga Khan Academy, my alma mater. But with tuition fees of Tk 90,000 a month per child, sending two children would set me back Tk 2.16 million (21.6 lakh) a year, assuming no "annual adjustments" (there always are).

Even mid-range schools like CGSD charge around Tk 30,000 per month, per child. Two children there would still cost around Tk 0.72 million (7.2 lakh) annually. That's what I paid for my entire four-year degree at North South University. At some point, you start wondering whether you're funding a child's education or underwriting the next campus expansion plan.

Naturally, many parents like me start looking for smaller boutique schools around Gulshan and Banani where monthly fees range from Tk 12,000 to Tk 15,000. Sure, these schools don't have Olympic-sized swimming pools, giant auditoriums, or twenty types of after-school clubs. Some barely have enough teachers. But they offer enough - and with smart parenting at home, these gaps can be filled.

But just when you think you've survived school expenses, the teenage years arrive - and with them, the coaching centres. Coaching centres now charge Tk 25,000 for physics lab classes, another Tk 25,000 for chemistry, and around Tk 6,000 to Tk 12,000 per subject for mock tests. It's not unusual to find yourself paying Tk 225,000 just to register your child for their O Level exams. And this is before you even get to the higher education phase, where the costs start looking like international phone numbers. What's even more frustrating is realising that we're paying these fees while getting less value than countries spending far less, such as Vietnam-where students outperform those from wealthier nations on exams like PISA.

The crazy part? We don't even talk about this enough. Maybe because we believe it's the system, and the system cannot be changed.

We silently adjust, sacrifice family outings, cut back on our dreams, and work ourselves into exhaustion just to pay fees on time. But it's heartbreaking to realise that even after spending all this money, there's no guarantee a child will be successful, adaptable, or genuinely educated. Many of us have been tricked into thinking that expensive schools automatically produce brilliant students. Real success, though, is built far more inside the home than inside any campus.

And here's where the good news comes in. Even if you can't afford a Tk 90,000-per-month school, there are powerful things you can do at home that matter more for your child's future than any fancy facility. Simple things like reading regularly at home can make a huge difference. Studies show that children who are reading perform better academically by six to 12 months compared to peers who aren't. Books can be cheap. Libraries are free. Storytelling at bedtime costs nothing but a few extra minutes.

Teaching critical thinking at home - encouraging children to ask questions, debate respectfully, and solve puzzles - is more valuable than forcing them to memorise endless pages for exams. Communication skills, leadership qualities, confidence - these aren't built in some expensive after-school programmes. They are built around the dinner table, in car rides, and in ordinary conversations at home. Even science experiments don't need a lab. A kitchen and some vinegar can teach chemistry better than half the textbooks.

Board games like Monopoly and Scrabble teach math, vocabulary, and strategy. Free YouTube courses can teach everything from creative writing to coding. And most importantly, teaching your children resilience, honesty, kindness, and a love for learning is far more valuable than any branded school name on a CV. After all, recruiters don't just hire degrees - they hire people who can think, lead, and adapt. And most of that is shaped holistically- in school, home and beyond.

The research backs it up: quality time with parents is one of the strongest predictors of a child's emotional health and academic success. Not money. Not status. Not the size of their playground. Listening, laughing, playing, showing up - these don't cost anything, but they build everything.

Yes, the math behind modern education is scary. Yes, the system feels overwhelming and sometimes even unfair. But no, you do not need a seven-figure bank balance to raise bright, capable, good-hearted children. Many countries around us are proving it. You just need to be present, be aware, and believe that what you do at home - the small everyday moments- truly matters.

The writer is the head of Communications, ULAB.

asifur.khan@ulab.edu.bd