In response to the dramatic increase in tuition fees and corresponding student debt for students at the College of New Caledonia, the Faculty Association at the College of New Caledonia has launched a contest with $30,000 in prizes to highlight the challenges students are facing in post-secondary education in advance of the provincial election this year.
“We are excited to work with students to keep college affordable in Prince George and hear from students about the economic barriers they are facing” said Bill Deutch, president of the Faculty Association at CNC (FACNC). “We want to work on solutions.”
Thirty students will win prizes of $1,000 each and can enter the contest by writing a 500-word essay describing the cost and any other barriers they face in pursuit of their education. The FACNC has teamed up with the CNC Students’ Union in this effort to highlight students’ stories, and find solutions.
Asked about the desired outcome of the contest, Bill Deutch said, “As educators, we see the pressure students are under to pay their tuition, handle rising cost of living, and dedicate themselves to their education. We want to give them a platform to tell the BC Government that we need to make change now, before we have a generation priced out of education.”
The contest runs from Jan. 20 until Feb. 10. Contest winners will be announced at the Open the Doors North Gala event on March 7 at the College of New Caledonia. Find out more at: www.openthedoorsnorth.ca
The contest is part of the Open the Doors campaign happening all over B.C. The goal of the campaign is to keep college and university affordable in B.C. Students are facing large debt loads upon graduation as a result of a 20 per cent cut in funding by the B.C. government — students are paying a massive 400 per cent increase in tuition since 2002. In fact, students pay over 1 billion dollars more in tuition than they did 15 years ago, leaving too many middle and lower income families in debt or locked out of getting a good post-secondary education. Learn more at: www.openthedoors.ca
Students, families, the public, elected officials and the local media are invited to attend the Open the Doors North Gala event on March 7.