Name: Luis
Reason for supporting a tuition freeze: “Education should not be a ball and chain scenerio”
The BC Liberals deregulated tuition and rent increases years ago. BC skyrocketed from one of the most affordable provinces for post-secondary education to one of the most expensive.
The tuition cap fee policy is full of leaks and loopholes, it’s not enforceable, and provincial funding for post secondary institutions in 2013 was 15% lower than it was in 2001. And this crunch of public money being diverted away from education has been felt by students. As an international student, I faced outrageous tuition increases. From 2012 to 2015 my tuition had increased significantly, to the point that it almost ended my ability to finish my studies. My parents and I had very tough conversations about the cost of my education, and if it was possible for them to help me. I went through a lot of stress and guilt through the whole process. But we persevered, not thanks to SFU or to government, but to my friends and family that supported me in many ways.
Education should not be a ball and chain scenario. It should give us tools and skills to take into the real world. But access is important. Student debt is crippling. If you keep relying on students to make up for systematic cuts to education from provincial and federal governments, you won’t have an educated workforce for the future: you will have an uneducated generation, unable to keep up with the changing world.
Enough is enough!
