Today’s provincial budget announcement contains some good news for post-secondary educational institutions and is welcomed by the University of Manitoba.
David Barnard
“We are very pleased by the support being provided to the University of Manitoba and the post-secondary education system in today’s provincial budget,” says David Barnard, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba. “It is encouraging that the provincial government is making a positive commitment to post-secondary education.”
In the budget speech this afternoon, the Selinger government announced it will increase operating grants to universities by five per cent in each of the next three years and will tie future tuition increases to the rate of inflation.
In recent years, provincial budget commitments to universities have been limited to one year only. By making a three-year commitment, the province allows the University of Manitoba to plan within in a more predictable context as it optimizes and reallocates its fiscal resources in support of its Strategic Planning Framework.
Barnard explains: “This three-year financial commitment ensures the University of Manitoba is able to continue to provide top quality education to its students, innovate as the research engine for our province and serve our community in a meaningful way.”
With the planned increases to tuition, tuition fees at the University of Manitoba remain among the lowest in all of Canada, making university education here very affordable, enhanced by a low cost-of-living and other government rebates and tax measures.
Barnard notes: “This commitment by the Province to investment in post-secondary education and research allows the University of Manitoba to make strategic investments in the four broad areas outlined in our Strategic Planning Framework. We welcome the new, multi-year funding which will allow us to plan ahead, but we are also still committed to ensuring we are allocating our resources efficiently and optimizing their use.”
“We are encouraged by this positive move forward,” he adds.
For more information, contact John Danakas, director, public affairs, at: 204-474-8551.
