CSO Figures Show Big Education Cost Increase

Rónán Burtenshaw

Editor

Education costs rose 9.4% in the year to June, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Despite this the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation was 1.7% for the period, down from 1.9% in June 2011.

Education, which the CPI counts as everything from pre-primary to post-graduate and other forms of training, rose “mainly due to an increase in third level education costs”. The student contribution charge rose €250 last year, from €2,000 to €2,250 – an increase of 12.5%.

CSO graph showing the increase in education compared to the other categories

Transport (+5.7%), alcoholic beverages and tobacco (+4.3%) and miscellaneous good and services (+4.3%) also saw big increases in the year. The latter category includes everything from hairdressing to jewellery and childcare to insurance. From April 2012 it will include the government’s Household Charge, but this is not counted in this set of numbers.

There were decreases in furnishings, household equipment and maintenance (-2.5%), recreation and culture (-1.6%) and communications (-1.2%). Consumer prices in the month of June decreased 0.2%, compared to a 0.1% decrease in June 2011.