The government's new 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant will make a real, measurable difference in the affordability of college and university. In fact, it already is, this semester university and college degree students are receiving $800 and college diploma and certificate programs students are receiving $365.
There are groups in Ontario, claiming to represent students, who would like this grant to apply to students whose family earn over $160,000 per year. However, the tuition grant is meant to assist students from lower- and middle-income families to ensure that the cost of postsecondary education stays within their reach. The grant is meant to help high school students have a smooth transition to postsecondary education, since 7 out of 10 jobs now will require education beyond high school. More than 300,000 students are eligible to receive 30% off tuition this year and 5 out of 6 families could benefit.
The new 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant is a huge step in the right direction to making postsecondary education affordable and accessible for all Ontarians. The Premier should be applauded for his continued commitment to students. We should all be calling on the NDP and Conservatives to step up and support students by supporting 30% Off Ontario Tuition grant.
For those that still question the neccessity of this grant I will remind you that more than 300,000 students are eligible to receive 30% off tuition this year and so far, over 60,000 students have applied for the Ontario Tuition Grant. If students are too wealthy to qualify for this grant there are many others available to Ontario students found here. I will also remind everyone that under the Ontario NDP government of the early 1990s and Conservative government of Harris-Eves that tuition skyrocketed at rates of 50% and 66% respectively, while Premier McGuinty has managed to maintain a modest increase of 35% over the previous nine years.
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