As we all know, the situation caused by COVID-19 has made all schools and post-secondary institutions in Canada transfer online. Many Canadian universities and colleges including Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) have decided to increase their tuition fees. But wait, why are they going up?

Although SAIT might require a higher injection of cash - even though they receive the majority of revenue from government funding like many other universities - us students simply cannot keep meeting these demands, especially now, since many of us are not able to find summer employment and are already facing many financial challenges. The average amount that domestic students will have to pay for undergraduate studies is approximately $7,000 which is almost a 3.1 per cent increase since the 2017-18 academic year, while fees for international students have increased by 6.3 per cent. This hike in fees will also clearly deny the opportunity to attain education for many low-income Canadians, including those from our Indigenous communities, leaving us with "mortgage-sized" debt.

Dear Dr. David Ross and SAIT Board of Governors,

We kindly urge you to take into consideration the living status, financial capability, and other challenges that stand in our way as students, and not increase the tuition fees as this will only add to the list of those difficult obstacles.

Education is essential for a decent quality of life, but unfortunately, many of us students will now be denied this opportunity just because of the rising costs of tuition. We are in times of crisis, and SAIT should not be increasing their tuition fees.

Sincerely,
SAIT's Student Community

-----------------------------------

There are currently close to 11,000 full-time students, 1,300 part-time students, in addition to almost 9,000 apprentices. This means SAIT has almost 21,300 students not including those enrolled in corporate training and continuing education programs.

Every single student's participation, including yours, in this petition will show that we, as a joint community of students, cannot tolerate and handle this increase in fees, and that this education should not be expensive to the point that we are emptying our pockets all for tuition.

Instagram: @confessionssait