The Vancouver Sun has an interesting article today on cutbacks affecting adult students in School District 53 and other areas of the province.

If you have been affected let us know. It seems funding for those who have graduated but wanted some upgrading to make this complex world a bit more understandable will not be funded anymore.

I have asked the school district to comment on the changes and the reaction of students in the area.

“A government program that offers free courses for high school graduates who want to upgrade their skills has been radically scaled back after the Education Ministry decided it had expanded far beyond its original intent.   Under the program, tuition fees were abolished in 2008 but the mandate was left open-ended. That allowed B.C. school districts to offer free online courses for adults in a range of subjects such as photography, hair design, drawing, guitar, film and television, outdoor pursuits, computers, cosmetology, horsemanship and more than half a dozen languages.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com

At YouLearn centres serving Keremeos, Oliver and Osoyoos, half of the 800 adults enrolled are taking courses that will no longer be funded, said principal Caroline Pennelli. Many are seniors, trying to improve their computer skills. “These people have been particularly hard hit,” she said, adding that low-income seniors likely won’t be able to pay the $300 or $350 fee the school will have to charge in future to cover costs. In Metro Vancouver, per-course tuition is expected to be $450. Letters of protest have been written by several students, including Glen Krisher of Oliver, who said he and his wife have been taking computer courses to learn how to function in a high-tech world. “As a 71-year-old taxpaying resident of B.C., why am I now going to have to pay for the right to further my education?” he asked.”ml#ixzz1vbgVtciP

Thanks to the Vancouver Sun and reporter JANET STEFFENHAGEN