Pouring money into education

Provincial budget focuses on education, youth, future

By Kenny Sharpe

The latest provincial budget for Newfoundland and Labrador was delivered this week with Premiere Danny Williams and his conservatives spending more the $7-billion, with nearly $1.5-billion of that going into education, making it the largest budget in this province’s history.

Of the funding allocated to education $88-million will go towards student residences. $18-million will help construct a delayed 500 room residence at Memorial’s St. John’s campus and a 200 room residence in Corner Brook. $7.5-million will be allocated for additional upgrades to existing student dorms.

A total of $3.2-million is allocated for deferred maintenance upgrades to existing residences, and $11.5-million for the new College of the North Atlantic in Labrador West. Another new building for academics will be constructed at Memorial’s Sir Wilfred Grenfell in Corner Brook at an announced cost of $13-million.

In addition, the government of Newfoundland & Labrador has committed its investment in a provincial tuition freeze.

“Through our unprecedented investments to improve student aid and make post-secondary education more affordable, Newfoundland and Labrador has become a national leader in post-secondary accessibility,” said finance minister Tom Marshall.

“We have frozen tuition fees at Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic in each of our last six budgets. With an additional investment this year of $5-million at Memorial University and $1-million at the College, we will extend the tuition fee freeze yet again.”

Currently students at Memorial University pay a general tuition of about $250 per course, with sister College of the North Atlantic students paying less.

According to a response issued by the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), because of the work of successive governments, enrollment, and expansion for all colleges and the universities in the province has increased or remained constant.

Contrary to national trends seen across the country, student debt in Newfoundland & Labrador has decreased on average, from $30,000 per student in 1998, to approximately $25,000 per student currently.

“In a year with a deficit budget and in a year where we are seeing our brothers and sisters across the country getting hit with tuition fee increases and funding cuts to universities and colleges, we are very happy to see the money that was put forward,” said Daniel Smith.

Smith, the Newfoundland and Labrador chairperson for the CFS, says students from across the country should turn to the student movement here and find motivation to implement change in other provinces.

“It comes down to the fact that we are 100 per cent united in Newfoundland & Labrador. Every public post-secondary student is a member of the federation. We all go in under the same banner, we all stand up and fight together, and that is what it is all about.”

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