A 2010 tuition fee protest in London, England shows that tuition fee stress isn’t just a local issue.
Tuition prices for post-secondary students are adding to the pressure of school work.
A report by the Canadian Association of University Teachers shows, on average, students were paying $5,366 for tuition in 2011-’12 – a 200 per cent increase from 1991-’92, when it was $1,706.
Tuition, which has never been higher, is taking its toll on young Canadian trying to better their lives.
“I’m worrying about school and work at the same time,” said Amanda French. Frencg, a marketing student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, works to help pay for her education since her family income is too high for her to qualify for a loan.
But French isn’t the only one who has to work. The CAUT report also showed, in 2011, that 54 per cent of full-time students either worked part- or full-time or were looking for a job.
“When I’m not in school, I got to go rush over to work. It makes studying difficult,” said Nick Wilkinson, a 19 year-old KPU student.
For those who don’t work or pay for their education, increased student fees are still having an impact.
Jievan Rinu doesn’t work while she goes to school, but still suffers the pressures of high tuition. “You don’t want to fail your classes, right? You want to get the marks, because you don’t want to retake them and pay the money again” she said.
Hadia Alemi, who isn’t paying for her education, recognizes tuition pressures, but its on her parents, leaving her to just concentrate on her studies.
The CAUT report also states that in between 1979 and 2009 government funding for universities declined from 84 per cent of total costs to 58 per cent. The student-funded portion of university budgets climbed from 12 to 35 per cent.
Kristin Unger
I wonder if there is a direct correlation between rising tuition fees and student loans, and general debt in Canada. Great article, nice to see this issue getting some attention.
Kait Huziak
I love overhearing or being involved in “when I was your age conversations” when they coincide with post secondary education. Typically it’s something along the lines of “I went to school full-time, lived on my own and had work 3 jobs to make ends meet while only making $5.50/hr.” However they also seem to conveniently forget that the inflation rate was lower, tuition fees were next to nothing and getting a degree actually put you ahead in the work force. Instead we now have more young adults living at home because it’s too costly to go out on your own, the inflation rate is through the roof, tuition fees are a crippling budgetary expense and getting a degree only puts you in cutthroat competition with the hundreds of thousands of other young adults applying to the dwindling work force.
Not to be a cynic but get a post secondary education is FAR from what it used to be and the lack of empathy from the government when it comes to the costs is salt to the wound…
Kier Junos
Well put. And spot-on with government putting salt in the wound! Making scholarships taxable is just plain mean, for instance.