Current ads
Jobs
Tenders
Notices
General

Click below

Nunavut Arctic College pushes for tuition increase

GN approval sought for first fee hike in five years

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

Tuition fees at Nunavut Arctic College could go up by $110 per student next year. (FILE PHOTO)

---

Nunavut Arctic College bosses are quietly pushing the territorial government to increase tuition in the new school year.

Although unpopular, college administration said the tuition increases are bound to boost revenue without affecting any students.

"I've been given the mandate by the board... to make sure there will be no hardship on students," said Mac Clendenning, the college president. "I don't think it will be a problem putting it through."

Clendenning and the college board of governors approved an incremental tuition hike last month after they started discussing the idea in December. Each student could pay roughly $110 more.

College tuition hasn't gone up in Nunavut for five years, and Clendenning said the rising fees are long overdue, as college and university fees have increased annually in many southern schools.

Clendenning sees the hikes as good news. He said students can look forward, eventually, to better services and more programs, once the budget is balanced.

However, the tuition hike will only go forward if the department of education can find increased funding from the Financial Assistance Nunavut Students (FANS) programs.

The hike is meant to eliminate the remainder of the college's deficit, which grew to $1.6 million last year, or nearly seven per cent of its operating budget.

Administration wiped out the bulk of the deficit this year when the department of education restored $1.3 million in base funding that the government cut in last year's budget.

But the deficit also stems from poor accounting in the past. Clendenning said staff had lost track of cash flow for years, leaving administration clueless as to whether some clients had paid their debts.

The college's financial mismanagement was documented in a recent consultant's report called Aaqqigiarniq or Time to Move Forward, tabled in summary in the legislative assembly last month.

The college has since cleaned up its finances by hiring a new chief financial officer, and writing off a large number of uncollected debts. Some outstanding accounts were five years old.

"We've had to work hard to strengthen the financial management situation of the college," Clendenning said.

Ed Picco, Nunavut's minister of education, repeated the college's promise that any tuition increase would be absorbed by FANS, which already covers most student fees.

Picco plans to further improve the college by revamping their funding formula. He said the review aims to eliminate unique expenses, like the college's payment of medical travel for staff.

The review will also highlight courses that are consistently popular and deserve more financial backing.

"I'd like to increase their base funding by a couple of million dollars," Picco said. "That would allow the college to put more programs in place."

Kowisa Arlooktoo, a teaching student and college board member, said the government's priority needs to go beyond managing deficits and improving programs.

Arlooktoo said they should focus on improving student assistance, because students are having a hard time making ends meet on current levels of FANS funding.

"I want them to make sure it's as easy as possible for each student," he said. "No matter how expensive it is, we have to make sure every student makes it through whatever course they're taking."

The tuition hike will offset $130,000 in growing operating and maintenance expenses, including heat and electricity bills.

But the college will turn to other clients to cover $175,000 in remaining expenses. In two months, Inuit organizations and municipalities will start paying 10 per cent more for specialized training courses, such as management and heavy equipment operation.

TOP

Advertising
Specs, rates,
& maps
Multi-paper
buying services
About the market
E-mail ad dept

More Information