Financial Support for our Students; Surviving Doug Ford
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- Black Foundation of Community Networks, Black youth, Doug Ford, education, grants, leadership, low income families, Ontario Government, OSAP, student loans, students
- February 21, 2019
Financial Support for our Students; Surviving Doug Ford
Ontario has been in an uproar since hearing about the recent Ford government decision to eliminate free tuition for students from low-income families. His reason for doing it; apparently the Ontario Student Assistance Plan grants had become unsustainable. OSAP currently provides non-repayable grants that exceed tuition for most low and middle-income students. These cuts will affect Ontario families drastically; students from low-income families will be worse off and face increased student debt, while the students from high-income families will be recipients of reduced savings.
Doug Ford’s government is cutting access to OSAP grants by about half.
Specific changes include:
Eliminating the free tuition guarantee and replacing it with more loans
Increasing the amounts that middle-income families are expected to contribute to their children’s education
Extending the amount of time parents must contribute from four to six years after high school
Eliminating the interest-free grace period on student loans after graduation.
These changes will also be felt when it comes to a student’s post-graduate experience; with less students being able to enroll in school, the tuition reduction means a loss of hundreds of millions of operating dollars. This means: larger class sizes, fewer courses and program offerings, and fewer student services that are desperately needed. Collectively, these changes are deeply damaging to students and families who have aspirations for high-quality post-secondary education. Thankfully, not all is lost.
How are we going to survive the Ford government’s decision?
The Black Foundation of Community Networks (BFCN) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2011. It aims to utilize and harvest information from established groups and association, and make the information accessible to the community. In doing so, individuals and families will become empowered because they have access to these resources at their fingertips.
BFCN initiatives and services include:
A weekly community program called Friday Focus
Annual scholarships and bursaries
An annual Scholarship Directory
A Community Calendar that provides access to diverse resources, services and opportunities for Black youth, adults and families.
Each year, BFCN grants $1,000 to successful students who have demonstrated strong leadership qualities, are actively involved in their community and who show financial need. The Scholarship Directory is BFCN’s most essential initiatives. Many students have difficulty accessing accurate information on scholarships, bursaries and award, and because of this, thousands of dollars go unclaimed because students are unaware of what is available. The information provided on the Internet is often inaccessible, or unreliable, which is why this directory is important in securing financial support for our students. Access to education is necessary for the continued success and growth of the youth in our community, and student achievement must remain our main goal. For more information on BFCN’s scholarship and community initiatives visit http://bfcn.ca/index.html
