Education costs families 4.3 bln euros
Education is costing Greek households 4.3 billion every year but the figure may be higher if undeclared private tutoring costs are figured in, according to the results of a study released yesterday. Research put together by the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) for 2004-2005 showed that many parents resort to taking out loans to put their children through school and university. «It has become a given in Greece that schools on their own are not enough to achieve their purpose,» said Yiannis Panagopoulos, the president of GSEE, the country’s largest union group. The biggest chunk of the education bill – 1.44 billion – went to pay for students attending tertiary institutions. Just over -1 billion was spent on housing and food costs for students attending universities away from home. Another 342 million euros went on private college tuition and fees. Families spent another 1.34 billion on secondary education for their children. Private tuition schools, or cramming colleges, took up 503 million of that amount while private lessons came to 258 million. Industry sources believe that spending on private lessons could be considerably higher since families often do not declare the full amount paid out. Meanwhile, families spend 804 million annually on costs associated with primary school and another 284 million on childcare fees.
