If you have children in school in Bangladesh, you know the rhythm. January is admission fees. March is exam fees. June is new uniforms. October is tuition arrears. And every month somewhere in between, there's a "special fee" note in the school bag that needs ৳500 by Friday.
It never ends. And if you're not prepared, each one is a small crisis.
The real cost of education
Parents often underestimate total education costs because they think about tuition only. Let's add it up for one child in a mid-range Dhaka school:
- Monthly tuition: ৳3,000
- Private tutor: ৳2,000/month
- Books and stationery: ৳5,000/year
- Uniforms: ৳3,000/year
- Exam fees: ৳4,000/year
- School trips, events, misc: ৳3,000/year
Total: ~৳75,000/year per child. That's ৳6,250 per month. Most parents think they're paying ৳3,000.
The bucket system
Instead of paying each cost as it arrives, convert everything to a monthly number and set that aside at the start of each month.
Calculate your annual education total. Add up every cost — tuition, tutors, books, fees, everything. Divide by 12.
Create an "education bucket." This is a separate savings wallet or account that only education money goes into and comes out of. Every month, the calculated amount goes in on day one.
Pay all school costs from this bucket. When the Friday ৳500 note arrives, it comes from the bucket — not from this month's grocery money.
The bucket absorbs the irregular costs. Your monthly budget stays predictable.
Tracking it in Khorchapati
In Khorchapati, you can create a savings goal for your child's education with a monthly contribution target. All school-related expenses go under the Education category. At a glance, you can see what you've set aside versus what you've spent.
The panic goes away when the money is already waiting. That's the whole idea.