New deal expected by spring

Negotiations have begun around a new funding agreement between the province and Nova Scotia's 11 universities.

The current three-year memorandum of understanding is set to expire on March 31, 2008, the end of the fiscal year.

"The previous memorandum of understanding has been a success and offers a framework for the current negotiations," said Minister of Education Karen Casey in a release. "We have pledged to lower tuition to the national average by 2010. We look forward to a new memorandum and how it can contribute to that."

The current memorandum outlines a number of commitments by the government and the institutions. For example, it capped most tuition-fee increases at 3.9 per cent in the first two years of the agreement and froze tuition for all students at Nova Scotian universities in the final year. Tuition was further reduced by $500 for all Nova Scotian students attending Nova Scotian universities.

A steering committee, with universities, students and government representatives, will meet before Christmas. A new deal is expected by spring.

Student representative Jen Bond, with the Alliance of Nova Scotia Student Association, is looking forward to bringing the "student agenda" to the negotiating table. One issue she'd like to talk about is the differential fees paid by international students.

"We're looking forward to working with the universities and the province on coming up with the best MOU for all the parties involved," said Ms. Bond, a second-year law student at Dalhousie.