Pre-Empted for the Day of Action
While I would like to finish my recent posts regarding Israel, I am afraid that will have to wait a day as it occurs to me that tomorrow is the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) Local Day of Action. With that in mind, todays post will be about that.
The CFS argues that a moderate increase in post-secondary tuition fees has limited the ability for Ontario students to attend university and college. However, what they neglect to mention to students is that since the election of the Dalton McGuinty Liberal Government it has become easier than ever for students to attend Postsecondary Education. Moreover, they neglect the McGuinty Government gaurantee that no qualified Ontario student will be denied entrace to a College or University due to lack of financial resourses.
Here's why...
Improvements to upfront grants and student aid
- $1.5 billion of the McGuinty's Government's $6.2 billion Reaching Higher plan is being invested into improvements in student aid.
- The Government has reintroduced upfront assistance into OSAP. Grant assistance is being extended to students who come from families with incomes up to $75,000, helping out around 60,000 first and second year student from low and middle income families.
- The threshold for interest relief has been increased by 5%, helping an addition 6,000 students per year.
- Student debt has been limited to a maximum of $7,000 per year.
- A $500 annual allowance has been intorduced to compensate for computer and computer-related costs.
- Students have also seen an increase of 27% in their weekly student allowance, translating into $75 per week.
- Recognition of the additional needs of students -- changes to OSAP's books and supplies allowance -- almost doubling in some areas. Such a change will benefit an estimated 145,000 students.
- The Ontario Trust for Student Support has made $50 million available every year to match private and corporate cash donations to college and university endowment funds to make additional grants and bursaries available.
Tuition Framework
- The current tuition model is a regulated framework with capped tuition rates.
- No institution will be able to increase tuition fees without signing on to the Student Access Guarantee and must show a direct correlation with an improvement in the quality of education.
3 to 1 Comparisons
- For every $3 the McGuinty Government is investing in the Reaching Higher Plan, student are only asked to invest $1.
- The PC Government (1995-2003) took away 15 cents for every dollar invested by students.
Improving Quality and Access
- The McGuinty Government has established the Higher Education Quality Council to monitor and ensure improvement to both quality and access to all of Ontario's post-secondary institutions.
- For the time, the McGuinty Government is providing a three-year funding allocation to colleges and universities, with an historic investment of $4 billion the year, rising to $4.3 billion by 2008-2009 to help Ontario post-secondary insititions.
- The Government is investing $1 million this year and $2 million each subsequent year from its Reaching Higher plan to celebrate excellence in teaching at post-secondary insititution. Up to 100 of Ontario's best faculty will be honoured each year with the Leadership in Faculty Teaching Awards. Winners will receive a total of $20,000 over two years to encourage continued excellece in the classroom setting.
- The McGuinty Government has met and greatly surpassed it target of 50,000 but creating 86,000 new in post-secondary institutions in the past three years.
- The McGuinty Government has begun establishing scholarships that will help Ontario's college and university students broaden their learning experience by completing a portion of their studies abroad. In 2006-2007, more than 150 of the new Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships will be available to eligible students valued at up to $2,500 each.
- The McGuinty Government is investing $65.3 million in 2006-2007 -- an increase of $20 million since 2004-2005 -- to help small, northern and rural colleges provide high quality programs in their communities.
- The McGuinty Government invested $15 million in 2006-2007 to help post-secondary institutions deliver programs that improve access to post-secondary opportunity for francophones, aboriginals, persons with disabilities and those who would be the first in their families to attend college or university. The amount will increase $55 million 2009-2010.
Most of all, the McGuinty Government's $6.2 billion infusion into postsecondary education is the single largest investment in this sector in over 40 years, with over $1.5 billion more for student aid, and 86,000 new space since 2002-2003. Looks like the CFS wasn't paying attention.
The CFS argues that a moderate increase in post-secondary tuition fees has limited the ability for Ontario students to attend university and college. However, what they neglect to mention to students is that since the election of the Dalton McGuinty Liberal Government it has become easier than ever for students to attend Postsecondary Education. Moreover, they neglect the McGuinty Government gaurantee that no qualified Ontario student will be denied entrace to a College or University due to lack of financial resourses.
Here's why...
Improvements to upfront grants and student aid
- $1.5 billion of the McGuinty's Government's $6.2 billion Reaching Higher plan is being invested into improvements in student aid.
- The Government has reintroduced upfront assistance into OSAP. Grant assistance is being extended to students who come from families with incomes up to $75,000, helping out around 60,000 first and second year student from low and middle income families.
- The threshold for interest relief has been increased by 5%, helping an addition 6,000 students per year.
- Student debt has been limited to a maximum of $7,000 per year.
- A $500 annual allowance has been intorduced to compensate for computer and computer-related costs.
- Students have also seen an increase of 27% in their weekly student allowance, translating into $75 per week.
- Recognition of the additional needs of students -- changes to OSAP's books and supplies allowance -- almost doubling in some areas. Such a change will benefit an estimated 145,000 students.
- The Ontario Trust for Student Support has made $50 million available every year to match private and corporate cash donations to college and university endowment funds to make additional grants and bursaries available.
Tuition Framework
- The current tuition model is a regulated framework with capped tuition rates.
- No institution will be able to increase tuition fees without signing on to the Student Access Guarantee and must show a direct correlation with an improvement in the quality of education.
3 to 1 Comparisons
- For every $3 the McGuinty Government is investing in the Reaching Higher Plan, student are only asked to invest $1.
- The PC Government (1995-2003) took away 15 cents for every dollar invested by students.
Improving Quality and Access
- The McGuinty Government has established the Higher Education Quality Council to monitor and ensure improvement to both quality and access to all of Ontario's post-secondary institutions.
- For the time, the McGuinty Government is providing a three-year funding allocation to colleges and universities, with an historic investment of $4 billion the year, rising to $4.3 billion by 2008-2009 to help Ontario post-secondary insititions.
- The Government is investing $1 million this year and $2 million each subsequent year from its Reaching Higher plan to celebrate excellence in teaching at post-secondary insititution. Up to 100 of Ontario's best faculty will be honoured each year with the Leadership in Faculty Teaching Awards. Winners will receive a total of $20,000 over two years to encourage continued excellece in the classroom setting.
- The McGuinty Government has met and greatly surpassed it target of 50,000 but creating 86,000 new in post-secondary institutions in the past three years.
- The McGuinty Government has begun establishing scholarships that will help Ontario's college and university students broaden their learning experience by completing a portion of their studies abroad. In 2006-2007, more than 150 of the new Ontario International Education Opportunity Scholarships will be available to eligible students valued at up to $2,500 each.
- The McGuinty Government is investing $65.3 million in 2006-2007 -- an increase of $20 million since 2004-2005 -- to help small, northern and rural colleges provide high quality programs in their communities.
- The McGuinty Government invested $15 million in 2006-2007 to help post-secondary institutions deliver programs that improve access to post-secondary opportunity for francophones, aboriginals, persons with disabilities and those who would be the first in their families to attend college or university. The amount will increase $55 million 2009-2010.
Most of all, the McGuinty Government's $6.2 billion infusion into postsecondary education is the single largest investment in this sector in over 40 years, with over $1.5 billion more for student aid, and 86,000 new space since 2002-2003. Looks like the CFS wasn't paying attention.
posted by Jordan | 8:04 PM
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