ONTARIO-On Friday the Province ordered striking colleges to establish a dedicated fund with money saved during the srtike, to help students experiencing fincancial hardship.
Deb Matthews,Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development issued a statment claiming “The fund will be used to support students who have experienced financial hardships as a result of the strike. I will work with students and colleges starting immediately to develop the parameters of the fund.”
12,000 professors, instructors, librarians and counsellors at Ontario colleges walked off the job more than a month ago. “I have had the opportunity to meet with a number of student leaders and their provincial associations. Matthews statement read. “I have heard from them about hardships students are experiencing as a result of this strike. Students have been in the middle of this strike for too long and it’s just not fair.”
Matthews says the details will be worked out quickly and shes looking for feedback from students. “I have just spoken with student leadership from the College Student Alliance and have asked them for their advice and for feedback from their membership. I’m looking for the best ideas about how to make sure this reinvestment directly benefits students who have faced hardship.”
It’s unclear how the fund would be used and if the fund would also be used to reimburse tuition fees. About 130,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that students be reimbursed tuition for every day of missed classes.
