In this podcast, the United Way of Toronto and York Region's Pedro Barata discusses with the Honourable Deb Matthews, Deputy Premier and Minister for Advanced Education and Skills Development, how the new Ontario Student Grant is coming together to provide free or reduced cost tuition for low and moderate income families.
Watch the recording here:
Your questions asked, your questions answered!
Find highlights from the webinar:
The Goal
The goal of the provincial government is to provide students access to education that will allow them to achieve their full potential. Financial support isn't the only barrier to accessing post-secondary education, but it is a big factor. Research shows that people in low-income families are much less likely to participate in post-secondary. The new Ontario Student Grant program is really being driven in an attempt to achieve better outcomes for our (public) investments. The current Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is very generous, but difficult to understand and navigate. This new program is an overhaul and expansion of the current system to better achieve our outcomes.
The Collaborative Process
Making the Case
The research and proposal itself made the case. The same amount of money is being repurposed from tax credit spending, so that people are able to use the financial support when they need it.
There were concerns about taking the tax credit away, but evidence shows that that money was going to people who have sufficient income, and that the program was not achieving the overall results they were aiming to. Once people saw the possibilities of the program they became very supportive.
From an economic perspective, we (Canadians) are competing on the world stage based on the knowledge and skills of our population. Having a highly-educated, literate population is something we should all be striving towards.
Comprehensive Poverty Reduction Plans Working In-Tandem with Increased Access to Higher Education
Research shows the best way to break the cycle of poverty is through education, therefore the first poverty reduction strategy was focused on improving the situation for children. While this new grant program is a great strategy for assisting people who have made it through the primary and secondary school system, there are barriers for students trying to achieving high school graduation as a pre-requisite of attending a post-secondary institution. The poverty reduction strategy addresses issues across the spectrum: early years education, closing the education-achievement gap and improving the home situation - stable housing, food security, issues of abuse, etc.
This array of initiatives breaking down barriers to success means Ontarians are now seeing higher rates of high school achievement.
In regards to closing the education-achievement gap, look at the report, Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: A Shared Responsibility, on creating a highly skilled workforce. It is a call-to-action for everyone - government, businesses, and communities - to help create a better integrated learning and working system. Business needs to come into the post-secondary arena, and the post-secondary sector needs to go into the business sector more. With proper consideration, every employer could take-on a co-op student.
We need to support different higher education opportunities that train and develop a diversity of skilled workers. We need to fill the right jobs with the right people. For example, London, Ontario's IT sector has 400 vacant jobs. If they filled 400 jobs today, they'd have 400 new openings on Monday.
As a result of the Ontario Student Grant, some students will be the first in their family or community to attend a post-secondary institution, and the province will be working on developing supports to meet these new needs.
Next Steps:
Minister Matthews' Advice to People in Poverty Reduction Work
Governments have competing demands to balance. This program came from advocacy groups understanding what the government's challenges are, and their proposed solution that took this reality into consideration. We need to make poverty reduction a priority for all voters and citizens, and politicians need to hear more frequently from people who are advocating this kind of work.
Need-to-Know Parameters of the Grant/Eligibility
(Note: an online calculator will be available to assist Ontarians with understanding eligibility criteria beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year:
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