EDMONTON – The Minister of Advanced Education has tabled Bill 19: An Act to Improve the Affordability and Accessibility of Post-Secondary Education, which focuses on the affordability, accessibility, and quality of post-secondary education in institutions across Alberta. The legislation follows a tuition review launched nearly two years ago.
“Post-secondary education should be accessible to everyone, regardless of socioeconomic situation,” said Joel French, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. “This new legislation will ensure all Albertans are able to better afford a higher education, and the changes are particularly important for low-income, rural, and Indigenous students. We are also pleased to see a funded extension of the tuition freeze, as well as new regulations on tuition fees, mandatory non-instructional fees (MNIFs), and international student tuition fees. Institutions have previously used increases to MNIFs and international student tuition to violate the spirit of tuition freezes, so the changes will close those loopholes.”
The legislation also strengthened student representation on institutions’ Boards of Governors.
“The decisions made by institutions’ boards will be far more likely to reflect the public interest with stronger student representation at the table,” added French. “One piece missing from the legislation is stronger representation on boards for the faculty and staff of institutions. Strengthening those voices would further improve the credibility and quality of decisions made that affect all constituent groups on our post-secondary campuses.”
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Media Contact:
Joel French, Executive Director
Public Interest Alberta
(780) 420-0471
[email protected]
