OSAP Cuts Are Creating Barriers: Who Really Pays the Price?
Reducing grants and raising tuition undercuts students from low-income households, creating new barriers to post-secondary education in Ontario
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, recently announced that his government wants to bring forth cuts to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP). This program provides loans and grants to students to help them pay for post-secondary education. These proposed cuts will see grants reduced to only 25% of OSAP spending in an effort to shift the program from non-repayable grants to forcing students to take on the debt that comes with loans. According to the Ford government, this change is necessary in order to ensure the OSAP program remains financially stable and that taxpayer money is being used responsibly.
While these are all routine reasons for governments to cut funding to a particular program, I want to focus on the lasting impacts that cuts such as these have on people who are often disproportionately impacted by government policy. Now, before we go further, I want to clarify that I’m not just talking about something I have no experience with. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Public Policy. My program focused on the inequities embedded within the justice system and government policy and how they often disproportionately impact the most vulnerable. With that said, let’s get into the topic at hand.
Before I detail the lasting impacts these changes will have, it’s important to first understand how the OSAP program works. In summary, when applying for a loan, the amount you get each semester depends on your household income. Those with higher household incomes tend to get less assistance, while those with lower incomes tend to get more. Grants are often given to those in low-income households as a way to offer students a chance to further their education without having to worry about the burdens of debt. In 2018, the government passed a bill that would provide “free tuition” through grants for those with household incomes below $50,000 a year.
This system has broken down a barrier that previously existed to education. With access to these grants, students in low-income households were able to make real strides forward and work towards a life that was better than the one they grew up in. Now, I will not sit here and claim the program is perfect. There are still many students who cannot afford a post-secondary education, even with this assistance, and more work needs to be done to ensure those barriers are demolished. Something I would like you to remember as we get further into this issue is that the goal of the program is to break down barriers to education.
Now, as I have alluded to, the population that depends on grants the most are those from low-income households. These grants removed a barrier to education, and they allowed students to have access to post-secondary experiences that they were previously unable to reach. These changes will significantly set back the progress that has been made in the quest to provide equal access to education in Ontario. The Ford government’s push to reduce the dependency on grants will disproportionately impact students in low-income households, as they are the ones who are benefiting from this aspect of the program (a pattern is forming). This will create a barrier to education that directly contradicts the goal of OSAP to make education accessible to all.
Some may argue that “if loans are based on income, then those in low-income households can still have their tuition covered.” Technically, this would be correct, but it ignores the fact that loans have to be paid back, and in many cases, students in these socio-economic positions do not have the resources to start paying back a loan right after they graduate, as many degrees require further study to get a job that pays a livable wage. The job market at the moment makes it almost impossible for graduates to find fast employment. The only thing these cuts are accomplishing is leaving students in more debt in their pursuit of a stable career and future.
Now, the government did not stop at simply cutting OSAP; they also implemented a 2% increase in tuition at most post-secondary institutions. This comes after the end of the provincial tuition freeze, which was put into place in 2019 with the aim of slowing down the rising cost of post-secondary education and making it more accessible (Oh, there’s that pattern again). Not only is the Ford government creating a barrier to education through cutting grants from OSAP, but they are also making post-secondary education more expensive, therefore creating another barrier that will only get bigger as time goes on.
Overall, while the Ford government believes that cutting OSAP will lead to more financial stability in the program, it fails to acknowledge those who will be significantly impacted. He makes these decisions from a position of power and privilege while refusing to look at other perspectives.
I know that being in government is hard, and that being the premier of the largest province in Canada (by population) is not easy. There will always be something that needs to be paid for, and to make it happen, cuts need to be made. While that is understandable, I do believe that governments need to look at how their policies create more barriers than they break down.
Thank You for Reading, and Advocate for Equity and Access to Education for ALL!