According to numbers released by Statistics Canada, full-time university students in Saskatchewan pay the third-highest tuition fees in Canada, at $7,177 on average- close to a thousand dollars more than the national average. Since taking power, the Sask. Party has hiked Saskatchewan tuition fees by 35 per cent.
“Tuition fees have skyrocketed under the Sask. Party,” said NDP Advanced Education Critic Warren McCall. “And, despite a decade of record resource wealth, the Sask. Party has refused to properly invest in advanced education. Instead, they cut funding to universities and the Graduate Retention program, forcing students to pick up the tab for their government’s economic mismanagement.”
McCall said that tuition fees will continue to rise as long as the Sask. Party continues to refuse to invest in universities and force them to dip into emergency reserve funds just to make ends meet.
“Our universities have been saying for years that the current level of government funding is unsustainable,” said McCall. “The Sask. Party should be listening. Instead, they keep cutting.”
McCall said that with the province in the midst of an economic downturn and rising unemployment rates, the Sask. Party should make investing in post-secondary education one of their top priorities.
“Ensuring that education is affordable for everyone at the front end, is the key to Saskatchewan’s economic recovery and boutique programs for graduates don’t get the job done,” said McCall. “It helps make sure that all Saskatchewan people have options and access to the skills they need to contribute in the workforce and grow even help create jobs. Unfortunately, The Sask. Party doesn’t seem to realize that.”