High tuition fees have discriminatory and detrimental impacts on students. In Ontario, students are faced with the highest tuition fees in the country and the financial burden that accompanies them which leaves many students with huge amounts of debt for decades.
Post-secondary education demands an enormous financial investment and many times, students are pressured to choose educational fields according to what they can afford, rather than what they want to study. As tuition fees increase every passing year, this system suggests that the province and institutions are interested in the wealthiest students, rather than the brightest students. Education now has a price tag that many students can no longer afford.
These barriers are made worse by the lack of support and services from institutions. Students are consistently left in the dark when it comes to experiential learning, Co-op opportunities, mental health and accessibility services, and the list goes on.
Students are having a harder time accessing the services and resources they need on campus and many of the things students ask for and need are either underfunded, understaffed and underrepresented. These all restrict availability and access to services for students.
This is unacceptable. We believe education, all forms of it, should be accessible to students and not a burden for all those who are working towards a better future for themselves.
Year after year, the University develops plans to recruit both domestic and international students however, services and support available do not replicate this. The University needs to listen and tend to the needs of their students. These all illuminate the fact that students are faced with significant challenges when it comes to accessing post-secondary education, health care, and finances.
Considering these realities, we have launched the Education for All campaign to persuade the University of Toronto Mississauga administration and political leaders to listen and make funding for an accessible post-secondary education a priority.
We the Students Demand:
- Immediate Reduction of Tuition Fees for All Students
- Fairness for International Students
- Increased Non-Academic Scholarships for All Students
- Increased Awards and Grants for Indigenous and Black Students
- Increased Paid Experiential Learning and Internship Positions for All Departments
- Stand-Alone Mental Health Counsellors Within All Departments
- Improvement of Accessibility Services
To get involved in this campaign contact our President at president@utmsu.ca
