Cabinet Minister meets with local Students’ Unions
Kelowna—The Okanagan College Students’ Union (OCSU) and the UBC Students’ Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) met on July 7 with Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education, to discuss the current realities of post-secondary education in the Okanagan-Shuswap. Both Students’ Unions are alarmed about the Minister’s public statement that student debt is good, and concerned that the Minister does not realize the full impact of student debt.
Given the Minister’s perspective on student debt, the Students’ Unions will be requesting another meeting to ensure that Yamamoto is clear on the scope of the problem her government has created. “We would hope for a more sophisticated response from the minister who is responsible for advanced education,” stated Cory Nelmes, Financial Coordinator of the Okanagan College Students' Union.
Yamamoto stated to local media that she believes student debt is a really good debt to assume. The students disagree. Education is a necessity in today’s economy. Many students are forced to take large debts in order to pay for it. This does not mean that student debt is good; it means that education is a necessity.
Women, parents, mature students, and students with disabilities are all more likely to go deeper into debt than a younger unattached male. When interest on their student loans is factored in, it is clear that these students are on average paying much more for their education than their peers. Student debt is a barrier against full participation in the economy. Students who shoulder larger debts are less likely to purchase homes, and are more likely to put off starting a family. Debt aversion keeps many potential students from pursuing their studies at all.
The Students’ Unions believe that debt disproportionately faced by women, parents, students with disabilities, and mature students is discriminatory.
The UBCSUO repeatedly stated that students are being forced into student debt at an alarming pace due to government underfunding. The OCSU advocated for increased government funding to relieve the burden of incredibly high tuition fees. “Student debt is ballooning at unprecedented rates” stated Kirk Chavarie, Executive Chairperson of the UBCSUO.
The Okanagan College Students' Union and UBC Students Union Okanagan jointly represents over 12,000 students studying across the Okanagan-Shuswap region from Osoyoos to Revelstoke. Both are proud members of the Canadian Federation of Students.
- 30 -
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jordan Haynes (OCSU): 250-863-7792
Kirk Chavarie (UBCSUO): 250-863-9823
53_Media_Release_Min_Adv_Ed_110807.pdf
Tags: news, student