Tuition fees set to rise
Students received yet another setback in earning their education Wednesday when the McGuinty government announced that the current tuition freeze will be lifted, and students will be facing a tuition hike this September.
Minster of Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Bentley announced at a press conference early Wednesday that students entering into studies in the 2006/07 school year will face an increase in their tuition fees, but pointed out that 90 per cent of college students would only have to find another $100 to go to school in Ontario.
Fee increases will vary for each program at each individual college and university, but no school can report an increase of over five per cent. According to Bentley, most undergrad students will not see a jump of more than 4.5 per cent.
But any increase is too much of an increase, according to student groups such as the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and the College Student Alliance (CSA) who maintain that the current two-year tuition freeze, which will be ending this September, should have continued into a third year.
"After…26,000 college students across Ontario asked the government to cap tuition increases at the rate of inflation, the government ignored students plea," stated Matt Jackson, President of the CSA.
The increase is part of the Reaching Higher plan that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty released with the latest provincial budget. The plan aims to make postsecondary education accessible to every qualified student in Ontario, regardless of income, through what has been dubbed the “student access guarantee.”
The tuition freeze is being lifted with some conditions, however; postsecondary institutions can only increase fees if they agree to a few terms outlined in the plan. They must participate in the student access guarantee, and they must agree that any increase in fees is used to improve the quality of programs offered.
“We aim to give students the best postsecondary education possible,” Bentley said. “Through our Reaching Higher Plan, our government is investing in more spaces, increased student aid and improved quality.”
Bentley also announced that as part of the plan, a new council called the Higher Education Quality Council will be created to monitor quality and access as Ontario schools. The Council will help ensure that any money from tuition increases is being spent in accordance with the Reaching Higher plan.
The creation of the council should help abate teachers' fears that postsecondary institutions are not investing enough money in improving the quality of education that students are receiving, which is one of the driving reasons behind the current OPSEU faculty strike.
OPSEU Communication representative David Cox said that the tuition hike will give colleges more money and hopefully "open an avenue for a solution to the strike." The union later posted a statement on their website stating their official position is that they do not agree with the tuition increase.
But a spokesman for the colleges says the fee hikes would, at most, barely cover 10 per cent of the union's demands, the Toronto Star reported.
In addition to any tuition increases, McGuinty is investing $6.2 billion over five years, which includes a $1.5 billion infusion into student aid. This additional funding will reach roughly 145,000 students from low- or middle-income families in the form of increased access to OSAP loans and up-front Access Grants.
"Although we are very disappointed in today's tuition fee announcement, this government has finally begun to improve the administration of our student financial aid and grants system. This will correct a major, systemic problem that no previous government has adequately addressed," said Tyler Charlebois, Director of Advocacy for the CSA.
Students whose families fall in the lowest income bracket - under $36, 440 a year - will receive the greatest access to grants and loans. Some students entering their first year of higher education may even qualify for 100 per cent coverage of their tuition fees.
Grants will also be easier to obtain for students' whose families make $75,000 a year, which is the average case for students in Ontario.
The 2006/07 academic year will also see the first rise in maximum textbook allowances since the mid-80's. The maximum granted for books will increase 138 per cent, to a maximum of $1,050, which will increase the amount of OSAP aid for over 138,000 students.
Minster of Training, Colleges and Universities Chris Bentley announced at a press conference early Wednesday that students entering into studies in the 2006/07 school year will face an increase in their tuition fees, but pointed out that 90 per cent of college students would only have to find another $100 to go to school in Ontario.
Fee increases will vary for each program at each individual college and university, but no school can report an increase of over five per cent. According to Bentley, most undergrad students will not see a jump of more than 4.5 per cent.
But any increase is too much of an increase, according to student groups such as the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) and the College Student Alliance (CSA) who maintain that the current two-year tuition freeze, which will be ending this September, should have continued into a third year.
"After…26,000 college students across Ontario asked the government to cap tuition increases at the rate of inflation, the government ignored students plea," stated Matt Jackson, President of the CSA.
The increase is part of the Reaching Higher plan that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty released with the latest provincial budget. The plan aims to make postsecondary education accessible to every qualified student in Ontario, regardless of income, through what has been dubbed the “student access guarantee.”
The tuition freeze is being lifted with some conditions, however; postsecondary institutions can only increase fees if they agree to a few terms outlined in the plan. They must participate in the student access guarantee, and they must agree that any increase in fees is used to improve the quality of programs offered.
“We aim to give students the best postsecondary education possible,” Bentley said. “Through our Reaching Higher Plan, our government is investing in more spaces, increased student aid and improved quality.”
Bentley also announced that as part of the plan, a new council called the Higher Education Quality Council will be created to monitor quality and access as Ontario schools. The Council will help ensure that any money from tuition increases is being spent in accordance with the Reaching Higher plan.
The creation of the council should help abate teachers' fears that postsecondary institutions are not investing enough money in improving the quality of education that students are receiving, which is one of the driving reasons behind the current OPSEU faculty strike.
OPSEU Communication representative David Cox said that the tuition hike will give colleges more money and hopefully "open an avenue for a solution to the strike." The union later posted a statement on their website stating their official position is that they do not agree with the tuition increase.
But a spokesman for the colleges says the fee hikes would, at most, barely cover 10 per cent of the union's demands, the Toronto Star reported.
In addition to any tuition increases, McGuinty is investing $6.2 billion over five years, which includes a $1.5 billion infusion into student aid. This additional funding will reach roughly 145,000 students from low- or middle-income families in the form of increased access to OSAP loans and up-front Access Grants.
"Although we are very disappointed in today's tuition fee announcement, this government has finally begun to improve the administration of our student financial aid and grants system. This will correct a major, systemic problem that no previous government has adequately addressed," said Tyler Charlebois, Director of Advocacy for the CSA.
Students whose families fall in the lowest income bracket - under $36, 440 a year - will receive the greatest access to grants and loans. Some students entering their first year of higher education may even qualify for 100 per cent coverage of their tuition fees.
Grants will also be easier to obtain for students' whose families make $75,000 a year, which is the average case for students in Ontario.
The 2006/07 academic year will also see the first rise in maximum textbook allowances since the mid-80's. The maximum granted for books will increase 138 per cent, to a maximum of $1,050, which will increase the amount of OSAP aid for over 138,000 students.
