Ontario college students receive post secondary education platform from the Ontario New Democratic Party

TORONTO, May 26, 2014 /CNW/ - On May 16^th, 2014 the College Student Alliance (CSA) asked Ontario's party leaders to provide their post-secondary education platform pertaining to the CSA pillars: accessibility, accountability, affordability, quality and transferability.

The CSA received the following submission from the NDP on May 25, 2014:

Affordability: Students and families are feeling squeezed in tough times. High tuition fees don't help. The Ontario NDP will freeze post-secondary tuition at 2014 levels, and make provincial student loans interest-free. Andrea Horwath is the only leader who will tackle high tuition fees and make post-secondary studies more affordable.

Accessibility: Advanced education is crucial to growing the economy. We will expand access to post-secondary opportunities by helping students cut costs and investing in re-training programs for workers. We pushed the Liberals to implement a youth jobs plan and we will continue to create jobs with a Job Creation Tax Credit.

Accountability: Andrea Horwath knows the value of a dollar. We will make government more accountable and restore respect for tax dollars, including hiring an independent Financial Accountability Officer. We will work with colleges, universities and students to preserve accountability in the sector - and ensure students are part of the decision-making process.

Quality: Liberal cuts have hurt the quality of post-secondary education. Class sizes are increasing and staff do not have the stability they need with part-time contracts. The Ontario NDP will address the concerns of students and faculty, and invest in protecting the quality of learning in our colleges and universities.

Transferability: Skills can take a student anywhere they want to go. The credit transfer system needs to work for students, too. The Ontario NDP will ensure that a flexible system can meet students' needs while preserving the quality of education, interaction with instructors, and the bricks and mortar of campuses.

The CSA would like to thank the NDP for sharing their platform. To explore student priorities for Ontario's 2014 General Election please visit www.itsyourvote.ca.

The College Student Alliance (CSA) is an advocacy organization, which has been proudly serving Ontario's college students since 1975. The CSA currently represents 15 colleges and 21 student councils with over 130,000 full-time student members throughout the province.

SOURCE: College Student Alliance

Tyler Epp
Director of Advocacy
College Student Alliance
416-340-1212
[email protected]

Curtis Bell
President
College Student Alliance
705-618-6362
[email protected]