Province introduces plan to help parents save for kids education
Posted February 4, 2016 2:21 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – In an attempt to help parents save for their child’s future, the province is introducing a program so moms and dads can put some money away for tuition. This may be good news to some, but there is a condition if you want to be eligible for the money.
Moms and dads have to live in BC and the child must have been born in 2007 or later to get the $1,200 grant. And parents have three years to submit an application once your kid turns six.
Education Minister Mike Bernier says this is timely as more and more jobs in this province require a post-secondary education.
“It was really important that we did what we could with this $1,200 grant to really help get those savings started. We’ve had over 7,000 students apply for this grant.”
“Right now the opportunities in the K-12 system, which I’m responsible for, is really with the new curriculum. And it’s about opening those doors to make sure students have whatever their excitement is, whatever their passion is that they can work towards and go to a post-secondary institution.”
When pressed on what else the province is doing to help ease the burden of high tuition, Bernier said that wasn’t under his portfolio and was up to the Minister of Advanced Education.
Credit Unions and BMO are the banks taking part in this program, however, the province is in negotiations with the other big banks but there’s no timeline when they’ll be offering the same.
