Ontario's provincial government announced a major change Thursday to the way it funds the province's post-secondary system, including Humber Polytechnic.
The province is planning to spend an additional $6.4 billion in the sector over the next four years, it will allow schools to increase tuition, and is updating OSAP with an eye to allowing students more money to be counted as a grant.
The government said in its announcement that it has decided to take action to protect post-secondary access to education. In recent years, Ontario colleges and universities have cut programs and laid off faculty and staff as they struggled to make up for the revenue shortfall caused in large part to the federal government's reduction of international student visas.
“In order to protect our province, it is imperative that we continue to train a strong, highly skilled workforce for Ontario for decades to come,” Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence, and Security, said in a press release.
Humber Polytechnic President and CEO Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan was quoted in the government's press release praising the announcement. "The provincial government's investment is a substantial commitment to Ontario’s public colleges and polytechnics," she said.
More to come.
