NS Budget 2020-21 Provides Relief for NSCC Students, Gaps Remain for Others
NS Budget 2020-21 Provides Relief for NSCC Students, Gaps Remain for Others
February 25, 2020
For Immediate Release
Halifax, NS – Today, Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) is thrilled to see the Government of Nova Scotia address student concerns in the 2020-21 Budget Address. Notably, StudentsNS is pleased to see an annual $2.2 million dollar investment in expanding Student Loan Forgiveness to NSCC students–a direct adoption of StudentsNS’ long standing policy recommendation.
“We are proud to see Government expand the Student Loan Forgiveness Program to NSCC students, who have faced program inequality in comparison to university borrowers” says Mary Navas, Chair of StudentsNS. “NSCC students are more likely to study and stay in Nova Scotia, with 92% of employed graduates finding work in our province. This incentive will allow NSCC graduates to reduce their debt load and increase their ability to participate in our economy, such as buying a house or starting a family.”
As stipulated in the 2019-2024 Memorandum of Understanding, $400,000 will be invested in the Provincial Sexual Violence Prevention Committee for universities and NSCC campuses, and an additional $600,000 will be allocated to the HealthyMindsNS suite of e-mental health services. Both of these initiatives were direct StudentsNS recommendations. A further $20.2 million will be invested in addressing deferred maintenance on campus, an issue that StudentsNS brought forward in both our 2019-2024 Memorandum of Understanding and 2020-21 Pre-Budget Submissions.
“Deferred maintenance is a major issue across our province, with a total estimate ranging between 500-800 million dollars” says Clancy McDaniel, Executive Director of StudentsNS. “An aging built environment can reduce accessibility for students. As we near the full implementation of the Accessibility Act in 2030, we encourage both Government and institutions to use this funding to meet operational needs as well as increase accessibility on campus”.
While StudentsNS is enthusiastic to see these investments, other groups of students were left out of the 2020-21 Budget. The role of international students and their value to our province was mentioned directly in the Budget Address, yet there were no funding commitments to support these students during study. StudentsNS has routinely advocated to Government on the importance of targeted programs, such as MSI coverage, and hope to see these concerns addressed in the future.
“With increased retention and growing recognition from business, community, and Government leaders about the positive role of international students, it is important for Government to solidify their recognition with concrete action” says Mackenzie Jarvin, Vice Chair for StudentsNS. “While positive steps have been made–such as last year’s introduction of the Diversity Bonus for work-integrated learning programs–more can be done to provide support to these students, who face unregulated tuition fees and high medical insurance premiums”.
StudentsNS represents 20,000 undergraduate, graduate, and college students across Nova Scotia, and looks forward to continue working collaboratively with the Province to improve the accessibility, affordability, quality, and the role of the student voice in our post-secondary system.
For more information, contact:
Clancy McDaniel, Executive Director
(902) 476-2367