Will I stay or will I go?
Manitoba government to offer tuition rebates
KERRI WOLOSZYN STAFF
Premier Gary Doer’s government presented its eighth throne speech last Wednesday and in it announced a tuition rebate plan. The plan, slated to start in 2007, would offer graduates 10 per cent of their total tuition for up to six years. The total tuition rebate could, therefore, be up to 60 per cent. The catch is that graduates must stay and work in Manitoba over these six years. The NDP government hopes that educated young people will, by the time the six years are up, have formed lasting ties to the province. The Manitoba tuition rebate plan is similar to one that is already being offered in New Brunswick, which only offers its graduates 50 per cent of their total tuition, up to $10,000, to stay in the province.
The plan received backlash even before it was officially unveiled, from students as well as businesses. But the real question is: will the plan keep recent graduates in Manitoba to work?
It is, perhaps, too early to say whether or not the tuition rebate plan is working in New Brunswick (the plan was unveiled in 2005) and if their aging and declining population has reaped the benefits of their educated young people. Is money the answer to all of the problems that are plaguing provinces like Manitoba and New Brunswick? Probably not, but it may be the answer to some.
The government of Manitoba is correct in thinking that the way to make young people stay in the province is to find a way to create longlasting ties. The rebate money that would be given to graduates would be shelled out over six years, which seems like a long enough time for someone to set themselves up permanently. The problem with the issue of time is that in order for a young person to receive the benefits of the tuition rebate they must work in the province as well. Unfortunately, many recent graduates cannot find jobs related to their degree in Manitoba and have to move out of the province to work in the field of their choice.
The other issue that has been brought up by student groups is that the rebate offer only helps graduates. Therefore, if you are struggling to come up with the money to go to college or university in the first place you are, in some respects, out of luck. Student loans and student lines of credit are helpful for short-term financial woes but they also become long-term headaches. If the government was to help students at the start of their postsecondary careers, then they would not have to help them as substantially with the debt students incur over the years they spend in school.
The small number of students that I spoke to had a mixed reaction about the rebates. All of the students, however, said that they would be very willing to take the money.
The government wants young people to stay in Manitoba to work and make the province more successful economically. The tuition rebates may make some graduates take a second look at what the province has to offer. There are benefits to living in Manitoba to be sure. There is the relatively low cost of living, the friendly people and the beautiful outdoors. But people need money to live and money is made through working. After graduating, a person wants work that they find exciting and is related to their field of study. If Manitoba cannot offer this, then I am afraid the province will be in the same predicament for many years to come. So, will I stay? I guess I will have to think about it.
Kerri Woloszyn is the Manitoban’s roving reporter and a fourth-year film studies student.
