NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2011
Premier’s jobs plan to increase international student enrolment short-sighted
Victoria – As Premier Clark toured the province on the ‘B.C. Jobs Plan’ tour, she announced yesterday in Kamloops that the province was setting the goal of increasing the number of international students by 50 percent over four years. BC students think this is a short-sighted solution to a much larger problem.
“Long term sustained job-growth in this province is going to come from making colleges and universities accessible and affordable for both BC students and international students,” said UVSS chairperson Tara Paterson. “Attracting more international students to B.C. is a short-sighted solution which uses exorbitant tuition fee revenue from international students to prop up a chronically underfunded post-secondary system – rather than work to create real job growth.”
Tuition for international students in B.C. is currently $2,000 above the national average, which is already three times more than the average for domestic students. With such high fees and the lack of capacity to absorb 50,000 new students into B.C. colleges and universities, it isn’t clear how the province will be able reach its projected goal. For years, universities and colleges in B.C. have been aggressively recruiting international students. It isn’t clear from the premier’s announcement how they will be able to increase numbers by 50 percent.
“If the B.C. government is truly serious about job growth, it should instead be looking at goals such as eliminating interest on student loans and re-instating the provincial needs-based grants program for students,” said Paterson. “While there are some economic spin-offs from increased international student enrolment, the government’s short-term fix won’t solve the student debt crisis in BC. This crisis is going to have a severe impact on job creation and economic growth in the long-term.”
Where’s The Funding?! is a joint-campaign organised by the UVic Students’ Society (UVSS), UBC Alma Mater Society (UBC AMS), Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) and Langara Students’ Union (LSU).
- 30 -
