SASKATOON — The issue of tuition fees has been a focus of the politicians this week as post-secondary students return to class.
Opposition New Democrats claimed Saskatchewan students were paying the second highest tuition fees in Canada, and blamed underfunding as the reason.
In a news release the NDP states that since Scott Moe became premier, tuition in Saskatchewan has gone up 32.4 per cent. They point to StatCan numbers where tuition costs averaged $7,257 in 2018, but today it is $9,609 annually,
The NDP also pointed to the University of Saskatchewan increasing tuition by 3.8 per cent and the University of Regina by four per cent. The NDP also notes Saskatchewan ranked last among Western provinces for retaining graduates one year after they finish post-secondary.
The NDP is saying their MLAs and volunteers are going door-to-door with a petition calling for tuition to be lowered.
“For Saskatchewan to lead in innovation and economic growth, we need to keep our young people here,” said NDP Advanced Education critic Tajinder Grewal in a statement. “But how can we do that when students are being forced to take on tens of thousands of dollars in debt just to get an education? Affordable tuition should be the bare minimum, and right now we’re failing.”
Grewal was in Saskatoon Tuesday alongside a number of university students demanding action on the tuition issue.
“Students are making impossible choices between paying rent, buying groceries, or covering tuition,” said Logan Weatherald, President of the Arts & Science Students’ Union at the University of Saskatchewan, in a statement. “Every year tuition goes up, and every year more students are forced to take on debt that will take them decades to pay off. It doesn’t have to be this way—our government should be investing in us, not abandoning us.”
SaskToday has reached out to the province for reaction and will update the story once that is provided.
