10 Percent tuition reduction for Memorial University

I rise today to inform my honourable colleagues of the results of the roundtable held yesterday on a further 10 per cent tuition reduction at Memorial University.

I am pleased to announce that all parties at the roundtable unanimously agreed that the best way to invest the $3.5 million set aside in this year�s budget process, is to implement the proposed 10 per cent tuition reduction for Memorial University.

I will be writing the Board of Regents today to request that they consider a further reduction in tuition rates by 10 per cent. The effect of this reduction would bring tuition fees to $2,675 per year, one of the lowest rates in Canada. The reduction will apply to all programs with the exception of the Marine Institute (which has similar fees to the College of the North Atlantic) and the medical school where government will ask the Board of Regents to extend the tuition freeze for a further year.

This announcement, in addition to the recent announcement surrounding student financial services in the province, means that students now have access to one of the most progressive post-secondary education systems in the country.

This will mean that starting this September, not only will students at Memorial University pay the lowest tuition in Atlantic Canada, they will also have access to student financial services that provide: a debt reduction grant program that will eliminate up to 100 per cent of the provincial student loan for high needs borrowers; targeted programs for MUN medical students and early childhood education students; an increased commitment to career and financial counseling; and a flexible appeals system that takes into consideration extenuating circumstances - especially those surrounding single parents and disabled students.

Students, and other stakeholder groups, asked government to allow them to decide how best to invest this money for their education and their future - and we have delivered. This decision will lower the cost of post-secondary education in the province and help meet the mandate of affordable, accessible and accountable post-secondary education established by this government.

2002 05 16                              2:00 p.m.