Cutbacks blasted

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The Canadian Association of University Teachers ? is protesting the drastic education funding cutbacks to status Indians announced by the federal government last spring.

According to Associate executive secretary Vic Sims, a letter has been set to the appropriate ministers, including Bill McKnight of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, asking for a policy amendment.

"It became apparent a few months ago that (education for status Indians) was not a high priority with the government," said Sims. "And the government had, for some time, made a commitment that it would fund any qualified Indian to attend post-secondary school."

The original funding program was "too successful ? it was working and became too expensive for the government," Sims observes. The funding program began in 1981-82 and at that time 4,400 Indian students were enrolled in full-time university classes. That number has increased to 11,000 in 1986-87.

"So, now the government has decided to impose a number of conditions and criteria to limit the number of qualified people who could attend post-secondary classes," Sims explains. He points out his group is against anything that might prevent students in this country from gaining access to post-secondary education.

Research on education funding for Indian has been completed by the association and the next step is to meet with McKnight regarding policy amendments.

"We're satisfied that there's definitely some unfairness here. The policy as it existed was fine and (we) should go back to it," Sims said. He feels the time is ripe for the association to express its dissatisfaction of the cutbacks because of "the South Africans' cynical offer to train (Canada's Native people) and the dramatic endorsement of Native rights from the Pope."