"This government continues to operate in a secretive and hidden manner as they move forward with their agenda of cutbacks," said Mr. Grimes. "While in government, our caucus felt that education was a right and a necessity to grow our province. We invested millions of dollars into our post-secondary system, something this government is refusing to do. Instead of taking money from our institutions and students, government should recognize their importance and maintain funding.

The President of Memorial University has stated this week that it is likely they will be looking for a tuition increase next year because of government’s funding cuts. He also confirmed that courses will be reduced this year. Student work-term reductions have also fallen victim to these cuts. "It is obvious that this government’s ill-conceived plan will only increase the debt burden placed on students and parents as they fight for a quality education in this province. This government must realize that our students are the future of our province and a quality education will lead to economic growth. If Premier Williams wants to revitalize rural Newfoundland and Labrador he should start investing in our post-secondary students.

"We are continuously hearing horror stories from students as they get closer to this academic year. I fear the repercussions for our post-secondary students should government decide to continue down their path of cutbacks. The Minister of Education has commissioned a white paper that is supposed to provide recommendations for improving the system. I hope he listens to the recommendations of the students and does not use this process as an excuse or justification for cutting more funding and closing campuses across the province."