Students welcome pledge to conduct comprehensive review, still waiting on access

For Immediate Release May 21, 2009

(Halifax) – The Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Associations (ANSSA), representing over 80% of the students in Nova Scotia, is welcoming the pledge by the provincial liberal party to conduct a comprehensive review of the provinces post secondary education system.

“A comprehensive review of our higher education system is a big step in the right direction for students and for our province,” explained Mark Coffin, executive director of ANSSA. ANSSA has been calling for a comprehensive review for several years. Coffin states that such a review is critical for creating a long term blue-print for post secondary education in our provinces.

Additionally, the plan promises the following in relation to post-secondary education
• A combination of new programs and expansion of existing programs addressing the needs of early education
• A comprehensive review of the province’s post-secondary education system to create a comprehensive vision for post secondary education
• The promotion and development of research parks to bridge the gaps between public research and private sector development
• To maintain the long-term commitment to reduce tuition to the national average by 2011
• A commitment to work with “everyone involved” to address the infrastructure deficit facing our universities

“We’re still waiting for a political leader to be a champion for accessibility to higher education in our province,” explains Emma Cullen, ANSSA chair. “Students in our province face significant financial and non-financial barriers to post-secondary education, and we’ve yet to see a willingness to confront those barriers head on. Confronting these access challenges will allow us to prepare our province for a sustainable future and curb problems like outmigration, unrealistic debt and an aging and retiring population.”

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