Right now, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is making some changes to stay “financially sustainable”. What this means is making life even harder for students. Sixteen different programs are being reviewed for suspension. From Computer Engineering Technology to Captioning and Court Reporting. The latter being the only accredited program of its kind in western Canada! If this wasn’t enough, I recently attended a session about upcoming changes to the program I am in, Electrical Engineering Technology. There is a proposal to raise tuition from $200 per credit to $320. A 60 per cent increase! This is possible because of the Exceptional Tuition Increase (ETI), a way of getting around the limit of a 10 per cent increase per year. The Alberta government has been blocking attempts by post secondary schools from using ETI, but there is currently a huge push to get them approved.
Universities and colleges are being starved of funding. This forces them to charge exorbitant tuition to students (especially international students). This adds on to the fact that it is harder than ever for recent graduates to find a job. Students are left unemployed with tens of thousands in debt. We can’t continue living in a system where every aspect of our lives gets worse year after year. Something needs to change, and we have the power to do that.
Jet B., Edmonton
