Students launch 'Fairness for International Students' campaign
By Contributor
As students prepare to begin or continue post-secondary education, the BC Federation of Students has officially launched its campaign on Fairness for International Students.
The province-wide campaign, titled “Fairness for International Students,” which kicked off Wednesday in Victoria, at Camosun College, is geared to mobilize post-secondary students to fight for fairness, consistency, and predictability for international students in BC.
In a media release Wednesday, the BCFS said British Columbia is highly reliant on the income from international students and charges the second highest tuition fees for international students in Canada, yet there is no regulation on tuition fee increases for international students, which leads to unpredictability for international students and could lead to issues in the post-secondary sector and BC’s economy at large.
“As the new school year begins, students’ union directors and volunteers will be on campuses engaging students to get involved, and show their support for Fairness for International Students,” said Aran Armutlu, Chairperson for the BCFS.
Fairness for International Students will focus on educating all students and BC residents about the current unfairness facing international students in BC and to understand two main avenues to call for change: administrators and the provincial government. Students will be encouraged to sign post cards which will be sent to both their institution and to the Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, calling on both parties to make the necessary institutional and provincial policy changes needed to set a cap on international tuition fee increases.
“The beauty of this campaign is that change can come from the government and institutions alike,” added Armutlu.
“While a new international strategy is being developed by the government, Institutions can start today, by changing their own international tuition fee policies to instigate the fairness on their campuses.
The BCFS campaign has two asks: a regulation of international fee increases and a new international education strategy that provides sufficient supports for international students. Success of this campaign will create fairness, consistency, and predictability for international students across the province.
The BC Federation of Students represents over 130,000 students at 13 universities and colleges in every region of BC. Together, these students advocate for a well-funded system of post-secondary education in BC that is affordable and accessible for all students.
