Minister of advanced education hits Hat on province-wide blitz

By Jeremy Appel on September 11, 2018.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Minister of Advanced Education Marlin Schmidt stopped by Medicine Hat College on Monday as part of his cross-province post-secondary school tour to tout the NDP government’s increased funding initiatives.

Schmidt, who was joined by Medicine Hat MLA Robert Wanner, says the tour’s timing has more to do with back to school season than the upcoming 2019 provincial election.

“It’s always exciting to be on campus at the beginning of a new school year,” Schmidt said.

“A big part of the buzz that’s in the air today is because of the great work that’s going on here at Medicine Hat College, from the work that we do offering dual-credit programming to high school students, to supporting education students, to integrating Indigenous teaching in the K-12 curriculum.”

The minister said the government is working to increase accessibility to high-quality education for all, citing the freezing of tuition fees since 2015.

“We believe that cost shouldn’t be a barrier to getting a good education,” he said.

The tuition freeze saves each student $750 a year, the minister said.

“I did the calculation in terms I would understand when I was a student — that’s about 300 packages of ramen noodles. I hope you put that money towards something more healthy,” Schmidt joked.

He cited a $290,000 grant to the college for mental health initiatives as another example of the government’s commitment to enhancing post-secondary education in the Hat.

The government is also doubling the number of students — to two from one — elected to the college’s Board of Governors, he added.

In an interview with the News following his formal presentation, Schmidt didn’t shy away from attacking the conservative record on education funding, which is not mentioned in the United Conservative Party’s Policy Declaration from this year.

“We have very different outlooks on the support that we would give higher education,” Schmidt said.

“It’s important to talk about that because Albertans have to decide what their future looks like and we can’t have a solid future without a strong higher education system in the province.”

Wanner says this is at least the fourth time Schmidt has visited MHC, with at least one other visit as part of a province-wide tour.

“It’s been a continuity,” he said. “It’s not an exception.”

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