The provincial government is restoring funding that will give a leg up to people who are trying to build better lives for themselves.
And thanks to former premier Christy Clark’s last, desperate throne speech, the B.C. Liberal Opposition can say nothing against it — or, at least, nothing credible.
Last week, Premier John Horgan scrapped tuition fees for adult basic education and English-language training programs. In doing so, he kept an important campaign promise without breaking the bank.
It was also something Clark promised in that final throne speech, when she threw out her principles and backtracked on a list of Liberal policies.
In 2015, Clark’s government imposed tuition fees on students who were trying improve their English or upgrade high school courses in order to get a job or gain admission to college or university.
Post-secondary schools began charging up to $1,600 for a semester of full-time studies, although grants were available for low-income students to cover tuition fees and other costs.
“Adult basic education for all of us should be free,” Horgan told a news conference at Camosun College. “It should be a right, and we’re going to follow through on that commitment.”
It’s debatable whether such education should be a right, but it’s certainly in the province’s interest to help people who might not otherwise be able to improve their English or upgrade their courses in order to seek higher
education.
In today’s job market, trying to find work with poor English skills or without education past Grade 12 is a daunting task. If we can help people begin to climb that ladder, it will make a difference to them and to the rest
of us.
Those who need that help the most, however, face the most difficulty reaching the first rung of the ladder. That difficulty is reflected in the numbers.
According to Horgan, the imposition of fees led to a drop of 35 per cent in enrolment for the two programs.
In 2016-17, there were 6,692 full-time equivalent spaces, compared with 10,244 in 2013-14, the government said. One post-secondary official said some campuses saw declines of as much as 60 per cent.
What became of the people who stayed away because they couldn’t afford the fees? Some ESL students go to the Intercultural Association, which provides free language education. But its courses are geared for newcomers to Canada, rather than offering the more advanced training needed for higher education.
For those who are living on the edge and hoping to find a better job, upgrading their education is a crucial step. Even finding the time to attend school is a barrier; finding the money could be one obstacle too many.
The cost to the government of covering tuition fees might not be excessive. In its platform, the NDP estimated the cost at $4 million for the remainder of this year and
$7 million for a full fiscal year.
The real cost is not simply the elimination of the fees. The government will have to provide money to hire more instructors, and provide more supplies, and more spaces for the teachers and students to use. Expect the real cost to be higher than what we have been told.
Still, if the investment helps more British Columbians on the road to a better life, it’s worth the cost.
