Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Faces Cuts as Profits Fall

Like 450 other students at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Greta was informed by the institution that after completing her first year of court reporting, her program was being paused for possible termination. The school has offered an unclear picture for the students, with notifications stating final decisions haven’t been made. However, with many students having had their programs paused for more than a year, students such as Greta have been forced to move to other programs.  Greta explained: “Considering it’s a skill you have to practice several hours a day to maintain/build speed and accuracy, an extensive pause without knowing the fate of the program is just not worth the dedication.” NAIT was the only school in Canada that provides courses on captioning and court reporting.

The reason given by NAIT for the cuts to these 18 programs is the decrease in international students at NAIT as a consequence of new federal immigration policies capping international student enrolment. Under a tuition model, post-secondary students have come to rely on higher tuition for international students as a means of subsidizing losses and generating a profit. Smaller colleges such as NAIT have increasingly targeted international students to keep a steady flow of profits where there may be fewer sources of private investment compared to larger institutions. Small and rural communities take the largest impact, because they rely on new immigrants and workers more than cities. The decrease in federal funding due to federal study permit caps will conclude in increases in tuition costs for students. 

The situation at NAIT with program cuts reflect a recent trend in Alberta’s higher education institutions of prioritizing capital investments and sponsors over the student body. The suppression of Palestinian activists in both Macewan University and the University of Alberta just adds fire to the flame that NAIT’s program cuts have now stoked even more. Cuts to federal educational funding, federal caps on international students, and the limiting of free speech regarding Palestine have all reflected policies this current Liberal government has practiced. NAIT, Macewan, and the U of A appear to be moving in lock step with these ideas.

As Lenin said, “Without literacy, there can be no politics, there can only be rumors, gossip and prejudice”. Mark Carney’s policies are advertised as relieving pressure on Canadians, but instead for students like Greta they are putting more pressure on international students and post-secondary staff. As we see with the recent Portage College student protests by international students in Calgary and Edmonton, Carney’s bourgeois government is quietly making changes to the work permit programs for international students, making many programs ineligible for Post Graduation Work Permits. International students with promises of eligibility for work permits are now forced into a situation of leaving Canada and not being able to use their programs to work.

The manufactured crisis of post secondary education is placing the heavy burden of austerity and privatization on working class youth, faculty staff and international students. A public monopoly of post secondary education which provides free education for all is the only way to navigate out of this crisis. The scapegoating of international students shows the racist face of the Liberal government as they attempt to fracture the solidarity of the working class. The YCL-LJC condemns these racist scapegoating policies and will continue to build up a student movement that can mobilize with workers and fight against the austerity and privatization gripping our post secondary education. For a Life with a Future!