Less funding, higher tuition fees in 2013 Manitoba budget

WINNIPEG, April 16, 2013 /CNW/ - Students and their families will be footing more of the bill for post-secondary education if the measures tabled in the 2013 Manitoba Budget today are adopted. The Budget would cut in half the funding promised in Budget 2011 for universities and colleges and drive up tuition fees to increase to cover the difference.

"Universities and colleges will be forced to balance their budgets on the backs of students," said Bilan Arte, Deputy Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba. "Either through tuition fee increases or program cuts, students, and the quality of the education they receive, will bear the brunt of this budget."

Investment into post-secondary education is crucial for a strong and stable economy, and schools in Manitoba are still recovering from years of under-funding. While the government introduced a cap on tuition fee increases for some students in 2012, the cap doesn't apply to international students, college students, or students in professional programs. These students are facing significant increases in tuition fees to offset the cut to funding increases for the 2013-14 academic year.

"Students are going to pay more but get less in the upcoming academic year," continued Arte. "Decisions like these will lead us closer to the systems in Ontario and Nova Scotia, where high fees and low funding squeeze students and their families into debt and slow economic growth in the province."

The Canadian Federation of Students-Manitoba unites over 42,000 students at every university in the province. Students in Canada have been represented by the Canadian Federation of Students and its predecessor organisations since 1927.

SOURCE: Canadian Federation of Students - Manitoba

or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Bilan Arte,Deputy Chairperson
204.297.7230
Brianne Goertzen, Campaigns Coordinator
204.955.6782