News

This week, it’s reported that the government has made spending commitments of $65 million in March. Post-secondary students in Nova Scotia hope that the government will make the affordability of education a priority in the near future.

A report released this morning by StudentsNS reviews the social barriers that exist for accessing post-secondary education. It concludes that more action must be taken to ensure every Nova Scotian has the opportunity to pursue higher education.

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.

Today, Students Nova Scotia publicly released their submission for the 2017 Nova Scotia budget. The submission, “Investing Smarter in Nova Scotia’s Students” encourages government to make smarter investments by reallocating existing funds to more meaningful programs, expanding the popular “Loan Forgiveness Program” and providing more opportunities for students to work while studying.

This morning, student leaders from across the province arrived in Halifax to kick off their Annual Student Advocacy week. They will be meeting with MLAs and decision makers in the post-secondary education sector to encourage policy changes that will help students on campus.

Today, Students Nova Scotia was pleased to welcome a new loan repayment threshold for graduates that are struggling to repay student debt. Students currently begin paying back student loans when they earn $20,000 a year. As of November 1st, students will not begin repayment on these loans until earning $25,000 a year.

Yesterday, StudentsNS was pleased to see the signing of a memorandum of understanding between government and universities that is a positive step towards more transparency, student support, and consultation expectations for institutions in the Province. The Department of Labour and Advanced Education and the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents signed the MOU to govern a four-year partnership in the sector.

StudentsNS is pleased to welcome Sophie Helpard as its 9th Executive Director. Sophie comes to StudentsNS after serving as President of the University Students’ Council where she represented the 30,000 undergraduate students at Western University in London, Ontario. At Western, she studied Political Science at Huron University College, an affiliated liberal arts college on campus.

StudentsNS is calling on the government to support the passage of Bill 164 put forward by the Progressive Conservatives. The bill introduced this week is similar to the New Democratic Party’s Bill 114, but addresses the previous concerns StudentsNS had. Bill 164 calls for the necessary action surrounding sexualized violence prevention.

Students in Nova Scotia are disappointed that today’s budget address missed the mark on post-secondary education. In fact, the budget address delivered by Minister Delorey provided few supports for post-secondary students.