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FAIRNESS TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

@ Raegan Cote, News Editor

Throughout the entirety of Canadian

Post-Secondary Institutions, British
Columbia hosts one-third of all in-
ternational students (Celeste 2). The
reason behind BC being such a com-
mon choice by students from abroad,
amongst all of the Post-Secondary
schools in Canada, is due to the high
reputation the institutions hold (Ce-
leste 1). Not to mention the dazzling
landscapes, the buzzing cities, and all
of the other beautiful ways BC cap-
tures the hearts of many, the beautiful
province is easy to call home. Interna-
tional students can see exactly what this
province has to offer, though not all of
it is as transparent as one may initially
believe. Canada is using its excellent
reputation for Post-Secondary educa-
tion to its advantage (Celeste 1). Brit-
ish Columbian schools drive students
to attend, however, since there is no
regulation for fee increases, the institu-
tions have the power to sky rocket tu-
ition fees at any given time (Celeste 4).

Annual budget planning is not possible

with this law. Thus. the current model

of International Student tuition is un-

regulated, unpredictable, and unfair.
Economically, the unregulated fees for
international students in British Colum-
bia institutions could lead to significant
risks for not only the province but for
Canada as a whole (Celeste 4). While
the government has placed a cap on
domestic tuition increases at two per-
cent per year, there is nothing holding
back the college and universities from
increasing international fees (Celeste
5). This lack of regulation is not reflec-
tive of the values that Canadians hold
dear to their hearts, though it is the real-
ity for so many. The BC government is
very aware of how much money inter-
national education brings in (Celeste 2).
English training programs alone bring
in $919.4 million, per year (Kunin).
Furthermore, international education
contributes $9.3 billion to the Canadi-
an GDP—BC providing 23.4 percent
of that. British Columbia’s economy
depends so heavily upon that of inter-
national education that it has become
one of the seven principal industry
sectors; the other six are agrifoods,

forestry, mining, natural gas, technol-

ogy, and transportation (Celeste 4).
The model also does not account for
the overwhelming cost of living and
presupposes the idea that all students
coming from abroad are able to easily
finance Canadian education. The cur-
rent system in place that allows tuition
fees increases at any time is irrespon-
sible and may cause students to search
for other options outside of BC, and
even Canada (Celeste 1). BC views in-
ternational students strictly as a com-
modity by evening out budget short-
ages for the year and filling the funding
gaps with student tuition increases (Ce-
leste 4). Even though the international
students significantly benefit Canada’s
economy, the government has yet to
become involved, leaving the decision
making in the hands of people whos
responsibility and devotion is strict to
that of their own institution (Celeste 4).
Not only do international students
struggle to pay their unregulated tu-
ition fees, they also do not receive the
support, neither emotional, nor finan-
cial, in order to successfully complete

their studies (Celeste 9). They face