Thousands of post-secondary students and supporters marched in Nova Scotia Wednesday afternoon to demand that post-secondary school be free.
“Education is a right and, by putting up financial barriers and other barriers, we are leaving students out of these institutions,” said Amina Abawajy, vice-president of academic and external for the Dalhousie Student Union.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia tuition hikes are double national average this year: CFS-NS
As part of the Student Day of Action, which was referenced on Twitter using the hashtag #AllOutNov2, students gathered outside of the Nova Scotia Legislature to put pressure on the provincial government.
Abawajy said students want student loans to be converted into grants, more money for schools, safer campuses, the provincial government to better honour treaty rights and responsibilities, and reduced and eliminated tuition fees.
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“Being student, a full-time student working full-time, all of us have our struggles to meet the fees,” said Courtney Slipp, a student at Dalhousie.
READ MORE: New Brunswick government announces free tuition for low income students
Outside of the Nova Scotia Legislature, Nova Scotia NDP Leader Gary Burrill, using a megaphone, said, “What else are you going to call an average $39,000 indebtedness for a university graduate in Nova Scotia? It’s a betrayal of a generation!”
Inside, Kelly Regan, the province’s minister of labour and advanced education, was asked about what the government is doing to help students.
Earlier in the year, New Brunswick’s government announced that students from families of certain incomes levels would qualify for free tuition at some schools.
“I think it’s definitely a great first step, but I believe that we really need to be pushing for free education for all,” said Abawajy.
WATCH: Students speak out against high costs and increasing privatization of post secondary education on “National Day of Action”
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