Wananchi Opinion: Taking your kids to schools you cannot afford will ruin you

Many parents believe that the best gift they can give their children is the most expensive education available.

They stretch their salaries, take loans, sell property, and sacrifice peace of mind to keep up with school fees that are clearly beyond their means. The intention is noble. The outcome is often destructive.

When you take your children to schools you cannot comfortably afford, you may not notice it immediately, but you are setting yourself up for slow financial death.

Education is important. No serious parent disputes that. However, quality education is not defined by glossy brochures, foreign trips, or impressive buildings. It is defined by disciplined teaching, consistent supervision, and a supportive home environment.

A school that fits your income can still offer solid academic grounding if you remain involved. What destroys families is not choosing a modest school. What destroys families is choosing a school whose fees cause monthly panic.

When school fees consume most of your income, every term becomes a crisis. You begin borrowing repeatedly.

Loans that were meant for emergencies now fund routine expenses. Interest accumulates. Salary advances become normal. Soon your payslip is committed before you even receive it.

That is the beginning of financial suffocation. You are working hard, but you are not progressing. Instead of building savings or investing, you are constantly catching up.

In Kenya, many families fall into this trap. They compare themselves with colleagues or neighbors and feel pressured to enroll their children in prestigious institutions in places like Nairobi or Mombasa, even when their income cannot sustain it.

Social pressure replaces financial sense. Parents fear judgment more than debt. Yet the same society will not repay the loans for you when things collapse.

Slow financial death does not happen dramatically. It happens quietly. You postpone medical checkups because fees are due. You delay rent or mortgage payments.

You cannot respond to emergencies without borrowing again. Stress builds up. Arguments increase at home. The very children you are trying to protect begin to feel the tension. Ironically, the expensive school environment cannot compensate for the instability at home.

There is also an opportunity cost. Money tied up in unaffordable school fees could have been invested in a small business, land, or retirement savings. Over ten or fifteen years, those investments could change your family’s financial position permanently.

Instead, all disposable income flows into fees. Once the child graduates, you are financially drained, with no assets to show for the sacrifice.

This does not mean you should choose the cheapest school without standards. It means you should choose a school that aligns with your realistic income.

A simple test is this: can you comfortably pay the fees from your regular earnings without borrowing, without selling assets, and without neglecting other obligations? If the answer is no, then the school is beyond your reach.

Children benefit more from financial stability than from status. They need food security, healthcare, and a peaceful home. They need parents who are not constantly stressed about deadlines.

A financially stable parent can also support additional learning at home, buy books, and pay for exams without panic. Stability builds confidence.

It is also wise to plan early. If you desire a higher fee school, start saving years in advance. Create an education fund. Invest gradually. Do not rely on last minute borrowing. Preparation turns a heavy burden into a manageable responsibility.

Parents must separate pride from planning. Expensive does not automatically mean better. Affordable does not automatically mean inferior. What matters is sustainability. Financial wisdom requires that you live within your means, even in matters of education.

Choosing a school you can easily afford is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of maturity. Protecting your financial health protects your family’s future. If you ignore your limits, the strain will slowly erode your income, your savings, and your peace. That is what slow financial death looks like.

Mr. Abol Kings is a former banker and a personal finance advisor.

E-mail: abolkings2018@gmail.com