Some students may be welcomed back to school this year with a big fat cheque. Rookie Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Bentley has announced funding for grants earmarked for 16,000 low-income first-year students entering university or college. Students will receive up to $3,000 towards their tuition this fall from the new Millenium-Ontario Access Grants and, since most of these students will also qualify for the Canada Access Grant, the two grants will amount to $6,000, covering first year’s tuition in full.
Bentley, who made the announcement early last week, says it was important for these grants to be available now. “Students with low income are half as likely to attend post secondary institutions,” he said. Due to the elimination of the Ontario Grant Program in 1994 by former NDP premier Bob Rae, students who have borrowed more than $5,000 for post-secondary education has quadrupled from 40,000 in 1992-1993 to over 163,000 the following year.
Student groups across campus have applauded this long-awaited reinvestment in education, and hope it is the first of many steps towards making post-secondary education more accessible. Of special concern is the $1.5 billion set aside by the federal government for provinces to reduce tuition. During the controversial Martin-Layton deal in the 2005 federal budget, $1.5 billion was designated for tuition fee reduction, but whether or not this money ever reaches the provinces is yet to be seen.
Jesse Greener, Ontario Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, says the cash from the feds “gives [the] Ontario government the ability to increase numbers of grants and move forward on the extension of the tuition freeze and reduction.”
But Bentley is cautious of using money we don’t yet have. “There has been much talk about the $1.5 billion from the budget amendments, but no province or territory has seen one penny of that money and there is some question as to whether anybody will see any of that money. In the mean time, Premier McGuinty has committed $6.2 billion to education [as part of the McGuinty Reaching Higher plan unveiled in the 2005 Budget] and we’re very busy making sure those monies ensure access and improve the quality [of post-secondary education]. The Premier’s money wasn’t just promised; it’s real money and it’s rolling out and improving the student experience now,” said Bentley.
But this may all change by this time next year, as the tuition freeze is set to be lifted in 2006. Rising tuition fees mean McGuinty’s $6.2 billion investment, out of which the Millenium Grants will be paid, will only make a dent in the barrier to accessing post-secondary education.
Even more important is keeping tuition regulated. SAC Vice-President Jen Hassum said she believed President Naylor will be proposing a deregulation of tuition that would raise tuition fees by ten to 15 per cent, and SAC says they will be lobbying hard against this move. “You’re going to be seeing us on campus asking students to send postcards and sign petitions [against the proposed deregulation] to send to MPPs and Dalton McGuinty,” said Hassum.
Bentley, who has already spent some time meeting student groups, said students should “rest assured, the message has been heard” when it comes to reducing tuition fees. “For the last 12 years neither the provincial nor the federal government has been prepared to make an investment [in post-secondary education]. Because of this tuition has increased,” said Bentley. While he admits this, however, he has yet to make a decision as to whether or not the increase in fees will continue or if the province will deicide to deregulate tuition. “We don’t have a government position yet. We are going to sit down and hear from students, parents, prospective employers, [and] universities so that at the end of the day we have a system that is accessible for all.”
