Adult students taking high school courses and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in Powell River may soon have to pay for their education.
The BC ministry of education announced that it would no longer fund some students for adult upgrading courses, including ESL.
Starting January 1, 2015, post-secondary institutions around the province will charge tuition fees for the courses. Then on May 1 school districts will no longer receive funding from the ministry for tuition-free upgrading courses for adults who have already graduated.
High school courses will remain tuition-free for anyone who has completed their Evergreen diploma (BC School Completion Certificate) and those working toward an Adult Dogwood diploma.
Jay Yule, School District 47 superintendent of schools, said the change will have little impact on the school district’s funding.
The district budgeted $15,000 in funding from the province’s education guarantee for 2014.
Adult basic education programs for the local area are handled by Vancouver Island University (VIU)’s Powell River campus.
“Though the district does not provide adult education programs, it does support VIU to do so through funding for those students,” he said. “This is what will change.”
The real impact of this change will be on students who have already graduated but need to upgrade.
The provincial government said it is protecting low-income learners, by providing up-front, non-repayable grants, for students attending adult upgrading courses, including ESL, at public post-secondary institutions.
It was announced earlier this month that starting April 1, 2015, the annual budget for Adult Upgrading Grants would increase 33 per cent to $7.6 million. Grants will cover all or a portion of the costs of tuition, textbooks, supplies, transportation and child care depending on the student’s income, the ministry reported.
Applications for the grant can be made at VIU.
