For immediate release
14 July, 2021
The announcement from Memorial University presenting the new tuition breakdown for students starting in fall 2022 has left many in our province with questions about the burden being placed on future generations.
“With the tuition at Memorial University increasing to $3,000 for domestic students and over $20,000 for international students, an increase of over 100%, the choice for the younger generation of this province will be to leave here and pay the same amount elsewhere in the country,” states NDP Leader Alison Coffin. “This thought is unnerving when thinking about the assessment by Dame Moya Greene that places a lot of responsibility on in-migration and the youth of the province to pick up the broken pieces left by decades of mismanagement from successive Liberal and Tory Governments.”
“Again we are seeing the choices made by this Liberal Government failing the future of our province by asking young people to shoulder the burden of decades of mismanagement,” said Coffin. “Our youth are resilient, but when your government continues to serve blow after blow, eventually you will assess the other options available to you and take appropriate steps to walk away.”
When they released the Greene Report, the Liberal government expressed in the House of Assembly that the burden lies on the backs of the youth of this province to help regenerate growth and stimulation to help us get back on track financially.
”Doubling of tuition and not increasing the minimum wage puts more pressure on the backs of those who will play a large role in helping this province come out of debt,” said Coffin. “When the need for support and investment comes from an oil and gas industry, this government is all in and it’s viewed as an investment. When it is education, it is viewed as a cost. This is not acceptable as more students will need to apply for supports, and there are now more hoops for them to jump through when all they are trying to do is advance themselves in life.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Communications Support, NDP Caucus at 729-0270 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca