Rethink Education – Part 1 of 5

Rethink Education – Part 1 of 5

My Story: $22,000, a Baby, and a Broken Promise

Education is supposed to be a pathway to opportunity. But for thousands of students — domestic, international, and Indigenous alike — it has become a financial trap.

When I returned to college at 28, I paid $22,000. I had worked physically demanding jobs from youth, leaving me with chronic tendonitis. I needed a way forward.

Then came the dot-com crash. Jobs disappeared. I had a baby. No daycare, no childcare support. I defaulted on my loan. The college had already taken my money. I was left with debt, exhaustion, and uncertainty.

Fast forward to today: Vancouver Community College has announced its third round of layoffs this year, citing low international enrolment. Institutions across BC are relying heavily on tuition from international students to cover budget gaps — a system that fails students when economic shifts happen.

Education shouldn’t be a gamble. It should be a right, accessible to all, fair, and supported by society, not a business designed to profit from students’ dreams.

Next in the series:

Part 2 – The Recruitment Machine: International Students and Exploitation. We’ll look at how students are recruited from abroad, why KPU in Surrey needs an audit, and how this system has been in place for decades.