The Canadian Federation of Students in New Brunswick would like to see free tuition for all students.
UNB President of the Graduate Student Association Brittany Dixon says the programs that are currently offered, are a start, but they don’t help those in graduate studies who need it the most, and “The current grant programs are not accessible for graduate students. They want to set down roots, they want to start families and they want to start careers, but they are just building up more and more debt. These grant programs, I think there are things that can be said about how positive they are for students, but there’s still more that can be done to make them accessible to everybody.”
Representatives from the CFS have been met with New Brunswick MLA’s and Ministers last week about their concerns.
“For a lot of students, tuition is a huge barrier to their ability to access post-secondary education. We recognize that there barriers exist and they sometimes penalize those who may need this education the most, “Dixon says.
They would also like to see graduate student funding and student assistance created and the elimination of interest on student loans.
“Students are graduating with an average of $39,600 in student debt and are being forced to leave the province,” says Khaleel Arfeen, CFS-NB National Executive Representative.
“We must move towards a system of universally accessible post-secondary education in order to combat youth outmigration and ensure that every student has an opportunity to succeed, Arfeen says.
Students’ lobby document, titled Investing in Our Future: Renewing Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick, can be viewed HERE.
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