"Students pen letter to Minister of Labour and Advanced Education calling for affordable education"
Halifax, NS – Today Students Nova Scotia released an open letter to the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, the Honourable Kelly Regan. It addresses the recent announcements by the New Brunswick government that will ensure the affordability of post-secondary education for students from low and middle-income families.
March 7th, 2017
Dear Honourable Minister Kelly Regan,
Affordability and accessibility are core values of StudentsNS’ vision for post-secondary education in Nova Scotia. That is why we were excited and hopeful when we heard the announcement recently from the Government of New Brunswick. Premier Brian Gallant announced that in addition to the investments that his government made last year through the Tuition Access Bursary, New Brunswick would take further steps to providing full tuition funding for low and middle-income families.
Their plan is to provide up-front, non-repayable grants to students dependent on their family income and size. Not only are they extending this program to undergraduate students, but also students attending community college.
Something in the Government of New Brunswick’s release stood out to StudentsNS: “For several years, student groups have advocated for upfront non-repayable grants as a means to increase access to post-secondary education,” said Landry. “They spoke and we listened by delivering full tuition funding for those who need it most.” Just as students in New Brunswick have advocated for this policy to advance access in post-secondary education, you have heard students in Nova Scotia ask for the same investments. For example, in our 2017 Budget Submission “Investing Smarter in Nova Scotia’s Students” , we stated the following: “The funds dedicated to Tuition and Education Tax Credits can be better utilized by re-purposing them for up-front grants to low-income students. Ontario, New Brunswick, and the federal government have already changed their policies to subsidize tuition and expenses for students that need it most.”
The province also announced that they would begin providing provincial health care coverage to international students, effective September 2017. They cited the importance of making university and college education more affordable for international students and the competitive advantage they hope it will give New Brunswick institutions. International student health care is a matter that we still feel is unresolved in Nova Scotia. We firmly believe that MSI coverage should be provided to students as soon as they arrive in Nova Scotia to begin studying.
www.studentsns.ca | 923 Robie St, Halifax B3H 3C3 | @studentsns
With these important announcements in mind, StudentsNS hopes that you will confer with your colleagues in government to find similar methods of increasing access for post-secondary students in Nova Scotia. We would also like to recognize that New Brunswick has emerged as a leader in ensuring the affordability of post-secondary education. It is time for Nova Scotia to follow this leadership and invest in students that need it most in our province.
Respectfully Submitted,
Collette Robert Chair, StudentsNS
www.studentsns.ca | 923 Robie St, Halifax B3H 3C3 | @studentsns