Recent budget is a slap in the face for anyone trying to get an education
The pre-election budget of the government offers little financial aid to those seeking higher education. The government has reduced its contribution to the operating budgets of post-secondary institutions by $45 million between 2012–2013 and 2015–2016, a 2.4 per cent drop.
Additionally, funding was cut to public transit, which has Translink projecting a $65 million deficit this year. Increasing funding to all of these programs would help students, but more importantly aid in creating a sustainable economy in every part of the province.
Late last fall, the SFU’s administration sat down with the government and proposed its opportunities agenda for BC. The agenda is characterized by three key pillars: increasing space for qualified students, funding for students in need, and a commitment to job innovation.
The result of this would be an investment in British Columbians. However, the release of the budget would predict a reduction in the number of student spaces in both college and university, less money for student assistance, and less support for advanced education overall.
TransLink funding was also cut, another indication that students are in the province’s blind spot. Arguably, a more efficient transit system would increase job opportunities at all levels of employment.
Furthermore, the buses to SFU Burnaby campus are insufficient and do not meet the current demands of its ridership. Students, faculty, staff, and residents pass up many opportunities over simple accessibility issues.
The campus will also be losing an entire parking lot near Cornerstone, which will only increase the demand for transit and the need for an adequate system like the proposed gondola.
This is especially true when considering that the Burnaby Mountain community will only continue to grow and develop. Though that the overall Metro Vancouver transit system needs to expand, Translink has not been given the financial tools with which to get it done. The proposed budget certainly reflects this.
The budget did, however, show an investment in the BC Training and Education Savings Grant. While encouraging parents to establish RESPs is a goal worth pursuing, it is not something that many families can easily afford to do.
In addition, this new system actually provides students with less money by the time they enter higher education due to the cuts in core funding. The program appears to favour education at the outset, but it will not take effect until students graduate high school in 2024, so it solves nothing for current students, and puts the responsibility for funding post-secondary education back onto the parents.
Although finance minister Michael de Jong calls the budget “balanced” and “credible,” the current proposal reveals the direction in which the current government is taking the province: one that does not favor either education or students.
