VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Starting in January, BC adults studying for their Grade 12 diplomas at post-secondary institutions will likely face tuition fees.

The province is enabling colleges and universities to once again charge the fees for upgrade and ESL courses.

The fees were dropped back in 2007 to encourage more adults to get their diplomas.

While fees will still be waived for adults getting upgrades at high-schools, Zach Crispin with the Canadian Federation of Students-BC feels the move will discourage a lot of prospective students.

“It’s so important to getting people in the door, at college or university to continue their education, who never would otherwise. The imposition of tuition fees on these programs is a complete reversal of policy that ultimately will hurt the most in need in British Columbia.”

Crispin says even a fee of a couple of hundred dollars could be too steep for some prospective students.

“We are going to see people shut out of these programs, who can’t afford to pay for them. We will see a decline in enrolment in college and university from people who are low-income or aboriginal folks who make up a lot of the people who take advantage of adult basic education.”

The government is also withdrawing funding to school districts to provide tuition-free courses for adults who already their diplomas.

The province says it will be increasing grants for adult students whose incomes fall under a set threshold.

The change in fee policy is thought to be an offering to post-secondary institutions that have lost federal funding for ESL programs. English as a Second Language classes are set to end at Vancouver Community College, because of the budget cuts.