NBSA’s Response to GNB’s Bridging Program for Vulnerable Students

Fredericton, NB - The Government of New Brunswick announced its new bridging program to support vulnerable students who do not qualify for other government funding. Students studying in New Brunswick qualify for up to $750 through their post-secondary institutions.

 However, The New Brunswick Student Alliance (NBSA) believes that the criteria to qualify for the funding is too restrictive. Particularly, only students who do not have access to student loans qualify for funding under the program.

 This requirement is contrary to the purpose of the fund as some of our most vulnerable students are from low-income backgrounds that require them to take out loans to fund their studies. Now, these students are being unfairly excluded from the program because they needed financial assistance in the first place. 

 “The Government of New Brunswick has deliberately excluded our most vulnerable students from accessing funding under the program that was supposedly created to support them,” said Husoni Raymond, Vice-Chair of the NBSA. “More needs to be done to properly support students during this stressful and uncertain time, a one-time payment of $750 is not enough and their exclusionary policy is not enough,” continued Raymond.

 The NBSA would like to see institutions have more autonomy in determining the needs of their students. Also, we want institutions to have the ability to provide financial support to all students in need, regardless of their student loan status.

 Furthermore, we are calling on the provincial government to step up and create a long term plan for students studying in New Brunswick and recent graduates. These students will need income support due to the uncertainty of the current job market. “ Many students have lost their summer employment opportunities and will require financial support to sustain them throughout the summer and help with their studies in the fall,” said Emelyana Tiarenko, Chair of the NBSA. “ Students are being left out of financial support programs so, we are calling on our government to create a plan that will relieve the anxiety that students are facing right now,” continued Titarenko.

 The NBSA will continue to advocate to the provincial government to ensure that they adequately support our students in these unprecedented times.

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