As financial planners, we ask our clients who are parents to “prioritise” their financial goals, and most of the times the standard reply is that their child’s education is their No. 1 financial goal. And when we tell them that your most important financial goal is your own retirement, the argument does not meet a very enthusiastic agreement by the parents.

It’s understandable. Humans are emotional beings and a child holds centre stage in a parent’s life. In my experience, many a times I see that the primary driver for a couple to undergo the financial planning exercise is the “anxiety” of not having enough funds to send the child to a good college/ university when he/she grows up.

In this anxiety, parents make the mistake of ignoring their retirement goal. Also, it may happen that due to some or the other reason, during the journey, the child education goal that the parents held so close to their heart could not be funded as they would have liked, and there is a shortfall which causes unavoidable disappointment and heartburn.

For such parents, just the awareness that there ARE……………. continues on Moneycontrol.com

Khammam: The state government’s move of rationalisation of schools has drawn flak from teachers and intellectuals.

They fear it would hit the girl child education badly.

As per the government’s plan, schools having enrolment of less than 20 students at the primary level and less than 75 students at the secondary level will be shut down.

Significantly, many of the schools identified fit for closure had more girl students than boys. It was found that parents were sending their boys to schools imparting quality education even when the institutions are far away but preferring local schools for their girl children. In such a scenario, it is feared that girl children would be deprived of education, if the schools are closed.

V Manohar Raju, state general secretary of Telangana Teachers Federation, feared parents would not send their girls to schools situated far off, if those nearby their houses are closed down. “The parents……………. continues on Deccan Chronicle