Graduated adults looking to upgrade academics for post-secondary entrance will have to pay for their tuition after May 1, 2015.
But there is still one more opportunity to upgrade that math, biology or English mark for free before provincial funding ends.
The change imposed by Victoria has the potential to affect approximately 800 graduated adults a year who sign up for a these courses tuition-free through School District 43 Continuing Education.
Currently, SD43 offers dozens of night school and self-paced online courses through CE and Coquitlam Open Learning (www.ce43.com) and approximately 40% of students who register are people who have already graduated. The remainder are people who are looking to finish high school to get their diploma and they will still be able to do so tuition-free even under the new rules.
REGISTRATION DEC. 15
Still, for people who have graduated and want to return to post-secondary school to enhance their career, there is still one more chance to get that important course on the province's dime. Registration begins Monday, Dec. 15 for the February-to-June semester while those wishing to take an online or self-paced course can register anytime (earlier is better because students need to finish 5% of the course by May 1 for it to be funded).
Principal Mike McGlenen said it's too early to say whether there will be staff cuts as a result of the change because people might still be willing to pay for courses, although the board of education has yet to decide what the cost will be.
"It's really hard to know where it will land," McGlenen said.
Prior to the introduction of the so-called education guarantee in 2008, people paid between $300 and $400 for night school courses, McGlenen said. Ending the free tuition for graduated adults in SD43 will save the province about $490,000 based on adult ed. funding of $4,430 per full-time equivalent student.
The savings - $9 million province-wide - are being shifted towards paying for adult ed. upgrading and ESL training for low-income students working toward a B.C. Dogwood diploma.
In a press release, Education Minister Peter Fassbender said the intent of the change is to re-focus funds and make adult upgrading more sustainable while still making tuition free for people who have yet to get their high school diplomas.
