NDP Promise Big Changes in Alberta’s Postsecondary Education
Market modifiers can be taken off the list of concerns for Mount Royal students
Nina Grossman
News Editor
After whats been a rollercoaster year for Alberta post secondary students, a collective sigh of relief can be heard from young Albertans as the newly elected NDP party releases plans to roll back the PC’s market modifiers, increase funding and prioritizing education in general.
In the last 44 years of PC control over the Alberta government, students have seen a number of tuition hikes and market modifiers; these are special proposals that allow schools to increase tuition beyond the rate of inflation for particular programs that are in high demand or have good employment prospects.
In fall 2014 Students protested tuition hikes across Alberta, sending a strong message to the PC party: why is education in Alberta becoming increasingly difficult to access? Despite Jim Prentice’s talk about an “educated workforce,” Alberta had the lowest rate of post secondary participation in the nation.
NDP leader Rachel Notley has outlined a “real tuition freeze” for post secondary students that includes a roll back on market modifier fees. If Rachel Notley stays true to her word, we will start seeing a transformed Alberta; an Alberta that values accessible and affordable post secondary education.
