Maroc - ARMCHAIRMAYOR.CA - A La Une - 19/Mar 17:57

EDUCATION – Crackdown on international students is gutting our universities

Move to curb international students is undermining post-secondary institutions and weakening the economy By ROSLYN KUNIN Troy Media Contributor CANADA ISN’T JUST facing bad news from the ever-changing chaos south of the border; we’re generating our own with damaging policies right here at home. Nowhere is this more evident than in the higher education sector, which is grappling with budget shortfalls, layoffs, hiring freezes, program reductions and cuts to capital projects. The primary cause? Government-imposed restrictions on international student admissions. Canada hosts over 800,000 international students, a number that has grown significantly over the past decade as universities increasingly rely on them for revenue. The recent drastic reduction in student visas has upended what was once a win-win scenario. Why does this matter? Universities rely heavily on government funding, with domestic student fees covering only about 20 per cent of their costs. Many institutions are also restricted in how much, or even if, they can raise tuition. Most provinces regulate tuition increases to keep higher education affordable for domestic students, leaving universities with few options to increase revenue outside of government grants and international student fees. Universities have long warned that grants and tuition alone are insufficient to sustain operations, [...]