The following statement was issued today by the Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour:
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with Sofia Descalzi and Alyse Stuart, representatives of the Canadian Federation of Students in Newfoundland and Labrador.
We engaged in a positive and productive discussion of key concerns and opportunities for students throughout the province. We also agreed to continue working together to support post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador.
I want to thank Ms. Descalzi and Ms. Stuart for their input on behalf of all post-secondary students. Today they were joined by their peers to rally for changes to the province’s post-secondary education system. I am inspired by their dedication and respect their input.
I further encourage students to actively participate in the upcoming review of public post-secondary education in the province. This is an important piece of work which builds upon the comprehensive review of the K-12 education system and our Education Action Plan through The Way Forward. I look forward to hearing from students as we work together to ensure our institutions are well-positioned to meet their needs well into the future, address emerging labour market demands, and continue to contribute to the province’s society, culture and economy.
Our government is proud to provide one of the best student financial assistance packages and one of the lowest tuition rates in Canada. We have been a leader in Canada for providing up-front grants to students and not charging interest on provincial student loans.
We also provide generous support to the province’s two world-class public post-secondary institutions, Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic.
Our government will continue to work with all of our partners in the university and college communities to ensure the public post-secondary system in Newfoundland and Labrador continues to provide students with an affordable, accessible, high quality education.
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Media contact
Ryan Crocker
Advanced Education, Skills and Labour
709-729-1795, 725-9595
RyanCrocker@gov.nl.ca