Dear Sir:
The Feb. 11, 2015 issue of The Terrace Standard carried an article on its front page telling us the government has bought a years peace with Northwest Community College (NWCC) with a further $494,000 in funding for adult basic education.
In a letter to the editor in the same paper the chairperson for the NWCC students’ union tells us that, quote: “Keeping adult basic education free and accessible is an important part of any jobs plan.”
My concern is, how can a publicly funded educational institution such as the Northwest Community College justify allowing possible foreign-funded politics (anti-Enbridge) to deny our youth and/or anyone wanting/needing to upgrade their skills through better education the opportunity by blaming the government for not providing enough funding from B.C. taxpayers when the businesses that generate the tax economy and jobs our youth are seeking would happily contribute and can afford to contribute? A year or so ago NWCC was offered $15,0000 in bursaries to help students, which was then turned down after initially being accepted.
I find it strange the NWCC would refuse monetary support from any entity whose interest is in creating jobs as well as socio-economic well-being for our country and then turn around and tell us the taxpayers we need to cough up more money to fund the college’s programs?
Where does the board of directors of at NWCC think our tax money comes from? Where was the student union when this no-strings attached private money was being offered to relieve some of the burden from taxpayers?
Where does the student union see jobs coming to meet students expectations, if they can afford to take a course to upgrade their skills and hiring potential that is, when the job creators offering fiscal support are rejected based on poorly thought through politics?
The USA is now the world leader in shale gas production and closing in on world leading oil production.
In North America our society is fast becoming a consuming society without the means to afford the products we depend on, more and more of our jobs exported offshore.
If they can afford to upgrade their work skills and/or education, where will the people earning increased job skills work, in Mexico or Taiwan?
Let’s look at the flip side of the college coin, otherwise known as the CNC or College of New Caledonia in Prince George.
Quote: “Stronger communities. More jobs. More opportunity. Northern Gateway announces its $250,000.00 investment to support educational programming at the College of New Caledonia.
“The funds given to the CNC will be used to support education programming that will allow students from rural, remote and Aboriginal communities the opportunity to take classes without having to leave their community.”
“The Digital Delivery Initiative (DDI) will synchronize instructor-led lectures in real-time across multiple CNC campuses. Furthermore, students will be able to interact with one another at different campuses and actively participate in their learning.”
Fred Hawkshaw,
Terrace, BC.
