By Preeteesh Peetabh Singh
Dialog Reporter
“Tuition costs too high? Pay your fee with our line of credit at easy interest rates”. This is how a major bank in Canada lures international students into its credit scheme. Almost everyone is aware of the hefty fee that students have to pay for their education, they try to empathize with them, but to no avail.
The country does not complain, and why should they? A major chunk of its economy comes from international students who enrol for undergraduate, graduate or professional course in Canada.
According to a report from the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, carried out by Roslyn Kunin & Associates in May 2012, the amount that international students spend on tuition, accommodation and discretionary items is $7.7 billion.
This amount is higher than the country’s exports of coniferous lumber ($5.1 billion), coal ($ 6.1 billion), unwrought aluminum ($6 billion) and even greater than the exports of helicopters, airplanes and spacecraft ($6.9 billion). Additionally, international students in Canada created over81,000 jobs and generated more than $445 million in government revenue for 2011.
Considering these huge expenses, what makes the students still come?
“I believe that students not only come here to study, but also to work. There is no doubt that the education in Canada is world class, but landing up with good jobs after completing the course is a motivating factor.” said Olena Kachor, an international student from Ukraine studying business administration at George Brown College (GBC).
“The tuition fee they charge us is absurd, it’s almost four times higher than the local students. If the effort that we put in is equal, why does the fee vary?” asks Ankit Sharma, an international student from India and a GBC alumnus. “People come in to Canada from developing countries like China, South Korea, India or the Middle East hoping for better income, a better standard of living, and eventually a better future, but as it turns out, even the job prospects look gloomy for us.”
Flamenco Spanish dance performed by Arte Flamenco Spanish Dance Company, at the International Students Festival in Toronto. Photo: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh / The Dialog
