Poll results collected on Ryerson campus show that 81.8 per cent of students approve of the new free tuition grants for low-income students
by Andrea Josic
Poll results conducted by second-year journalism students show the majority of Ryerson students have positive reactions to new free tuition grants.
According to the poll, 81.8 per cent approve of the new free tuition grants for low-income students.
RSU President Susanne Nyaga thinks tuition is a barrier when it comes to accessing education.
“I think education is a basic human right,” said Nyaga. “We know how debt affects students when they leave post-secondary institutions, whether it’s getting jobs they don’t want because they have to pay the bills, or not being able to apply for further loans because they already have debt.”
As a student who is affected by tuition costs, Nyaga believes that the government needs to do more than just offer grants.
“I think slapping on this new grant is cool but what we’re really asking for is free tuition,” said Nyaga. “We’re also asking for the government to assist students who did not get these grants and opportunities but are now living with crippling debt.”’
Students at Ryerson Third year Human Resources Management Sandeep Niranjan says he’s grateful to study in Canada because of the way the education system is set up.
“I think Ontario and Canada-wide funding, in particular OSAP, is something we take for granted,” said Niranjan. “I’m from the UK and India and school in those countries is not supported as much as it is here.”
Fourth year accounting and finance student Shano Camilus says the cost of university has affected that way she’s chosen her courses.
“There’s been some classes I haven’t taken because I couldn’t afford them,” says Camilus. “Sometimes I had to compare the prices of electives and take the less expensive one. I shouldn’t be worrying at the end of graduation how I’m going to pay for it.”
The poll was conducted by Ryerson School of Journalism students. They surveyed 567 full-time students at Ryerson University between Oct. 6 to Oct. 19.
The poll carries a margin of error of plus minus four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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