Last week’s federal budget missed an opportunity to adequately boost post-secondary funding and research activity to help our economy’s short-term rescue and long-term prosperity.
B.C.’s budget, due on February 17th, cannot afford to also ignore the positive, immediate economic benefits of directing new public spending on higher education in this downturn and for the future.
Recall last spring. The B.C. Liberals actually cut 2.6% from university and college operating budgets and reduced student aid by 7%.
Then after the global crisis surfaced, the Premier quickly penned his November ten-point economic plan which failed to include a single dime for education. It kept the $60 million cut from B.C. universities and colleges earlier in the year and had nothing to help our university-based research community.
This government has stayed the course on ignoring the financial problems of B.C. students – now among the most heavily indebted in Canada
We need an economic package that will deliver for post-secondary education. We can’t squander money on pet projects like the B.C. Place roof and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
We need additional operating dollars to stop declining per-student funding and support enrolment growth, we need expanded research activity, and we must raise graduate scholarships, and have actions to lower student debt – including cutting student loan interest rates and creating a four-year student grant program.
Right now, B.C.’s jobless numbers are rising quickly. And so is demand for advanced education and retraining.
We need to think about how we help the next group of B.C. entrepreneurs, scholars, tradespersons, administrators and community leaders contribute to this province. That’s why smart new public spending aimed at stimulating our economy and the skills and creativity of our citizens has to invest in our colleges, universities and technical institutes.
Comments: www.garycoons.ca
Recall last spring. The B.C. Liberals actually cut 2.6% from university and college operating budgets and reduced student aid by 7%.
Then after the global crisis surfaced, the Premier quickly penned his November ten-point economic plan which failed to include a single dime for education. It kept the $60 million cut from B.C. universities and colleges earlier in the year and had nothing to help our university-based research community.
This government has stayed the course on ignoring the financial problems of B.C. students – now among the most heavily indebted in Canada.
We need an economic package that will deliver for post-secondary education. We can’t squander money on pet projects like the B.C. Place roof and the Vancouver Convention Centre.
We need additional operating dollars to stop declining per-student funding and support enrolment growth, we need expanded research activity, we must raise graduate scholarships, and have actions to lower student debt – including cutting student loan interest rates and creating a four-year student grant program.
Right now, B.C.’s jobless numbers are rising quickly. And so is demand for advanced education and retraining.
We need to think about how we help the next group of B.C. entrepreneurs, scholars, tradespersons, administrators and community leaders contribute to this province. That’s why smart new public spending aimed at stimulating our economy and the skills and creativity of our citizens has to invest in our colleges, universities and technical institutes.
Comments. www.garycoons.ca