Ford says OSAP recipients should study for 'in-demand jobs.' Some say that's harder with funding changes
CBC
Newly announced changes to Ontario's post-secondary student assistance program will make it harder for students to study in the fields the premier is encouraging, some students say.
Doug Ford has faced criticism from students since his government announced that starting in the fall, the breakdown of Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding for eligible students will change to a maximum of 25 per cent in grants, with funding for loans increased to a minimum of 75 per cent.
The changes will reallocate money to help fund Ontario universities colleges, but many students say reduced OSAP grants will add to their debt load after they graduate at a time when affordability is already an issue in Ontario.
Ford doubled down on the changes Wednesday, saying OSAP recipients have an obligation to to study "the jobs of the future."
“The taxpayers expect the students to go through courses that are going to drive economic growth,” he said, listing STEM, health care, trades and tech as examples.
Students who rely on OSAP have pushed back against the changes, saying it will strain their finances and put them in more debt after graduation. That includes people focusing, or looking to focus, on the very fields Ford has highlighted — some of whom are now reconsidering their studies.
Lise Watson said her son Foday was hoping to enroll in Western University's kinesiology program in September. She said the COVID-19 pandemic had hit them hard financially, but the province's online OSAP estimator had predicted a "healthy grant" that would make Western possible.
With more of that assistance now coming as a loan instead of a grant, she said, they're having to reconsider his studies.
"We're all pumped, and we made a plan, and suddenly the rug's being pulled from under us," Watson said.
The changes are hard, she said, but Ford's comments about students choosing basket-weaving courses and spending assistance money on frivolous items sting too.
"I worked for almost 30 years in financial aid and students are not spending their money on cologne," Watson said.
Alden Buckton, a first-year nursing student at Georgian College in Owen Sound, says he relies on OSAP to cover his tuition completely, and he's now worried that he'll be weighed down in debt long after he's entered the workforce if most of his OSAP funds need to be paid back.
Instructors discourage students in his program from working more than two days a week so as to meet the course load, he said, and he's already spending lots on gas to commute 50 kilometres each day, saying rent near the school is too high.
Buckton said he just wants to work in a field he's excited about and live a stable life.
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