A provincial budget measure to offer free post-secondary tuition to students from low income households will spur equal opportunities in higher education across Ontario, Guelph MPP, and Ontario’s Minister of Education Liz Sandals said Thursday.
Speaking by telephone just after the budget was delivered in the Ontario Legislature by Finance Minister Charles Sousa, Sandals called the tuition measure “huge,” saying it would close a demographic gap that prevented those from lower income families from attending college and university.
That scenario was fundamentally unfair, Sandals indicated, especially given that a post-secondary education is now considered essential in today’s job market.
The move to provide free tuition to student from families that earn less than $50,000 annually, was seen by the government as a way to transform incentive programs that had been in place, including the complicated Ontario Student Assistance Program, a 30 per cent off tuition grant for low income students, and tax credit measures that student groups found ineffectual.
Sandals said the three existing programs were carefully examined and there was an appetite to “totally change what we were doing and use the money more effectively.” The three existing programs have been repackaged into a new tuition grant.
“With each thing that we did we could see that the participation rate of the people in the lowest income level would go up somewhat,” Sandals said. “But still, when you looked at the data there is still quite a gap between the participation rate of students from high income families and the participation rate of students from low income families in post-secondary education.”
Sandals said about 50 per cent of students from middle income families earning $50,000 to $83,000 will also qualify for fee tuition. All from this income category will get some form of tuition break.
The impact of the new measure will most certainly be felt locally. More students than ever from low income families will now see the University of Guelph or Conestoga College as higher education options, and will enroll in them straight out of high school.
“I’m really quite thrilled by this,” Sandals said.
Related to her ministry, Sandals said important measures have been introduced that partner the Ministry of Education with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to offer financial literacy training in high schools. The ministry and chamber will share the cost.
As well, social studies in schools will now include mandatory instruction in First Nation, Metis and Inuit culture and history, including covering information related to the residential school experience, and treaties. The measure is in direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. Teachers will be supported with $1 million annually for five years to get training in these areas, Sandals added.
Part of the significant infrastructure investment outlined in the record $133.9 billion budget includes investments that ensures that the process of rebuilding Highway 7 between Guelph and Kitchener continues. And investments in GO Train service will double trip to and from Toronto, to four trips in the morning and four at night.
