Student Recommendations for Budget 2018

For Immediate Release

Halifax, NS – Today, StudentsNS publicly released their submission for the 2018 Nova Scotia Budget. The submission was developed by students from post-secondary institutions across the province, and makes recommendations on student financial aid, international students, student employment, mental health, and open educational resources.

“StudentsNS continues to provide government with well-researched policy solutions for student challenges. Our recommendations aim to improve the overall quality of students’ post-secondary experiences and help to retain recent graduates in the province” said Annie Sirois, Chair of StudentsNS and President of the StFx Students’ Union. “Several of these recommendations have already been adopted in other provinces and have succeeded at breaking down social and financial barriers to post-secondary education. We know what works and it’s time for our government to act.”

Specific recommendations include the reinvestment of tuition and education tax credits into upfront grants for low and middle income students, providing international students with healthcare coverage immediately upon their entrance to the province, and supporting mental health resources on post-secondary campuses.

“We are proud to put forward these recommendations to address the needs of students in our province” said Sam Nixon, Vice-Chair of StudentsNS and Acadia Students’ Union Vice President Academic and External. “Student mental health is a key issue that needs to be tackled through a collaborative effort, and investing in innovative, technology based intervention solutions ensures that every student is supported.”

Finally, StudentsNS recommends expanding experiential learning opportunities through increased funding to the co-op education incentive, and investing into innovative learning resources by establishing a pilot project to develop open educational resources.

Read the full Pre-Budget submission here: http://studentsns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/StudentsNS-Budget-Submission-2018-19.pdf

For more information, contact:
Tristan Bray, Executive Director
director@studentsns.ca
403-837-9967