Despite efforts by the Government of Nova Scotia to support students who have been in government care through tuition waivers, postsecondary attainment by students in this group has not changed, according to Mount Saint Vincent University Associate VP, Research Jacquie Gahagan. Gahagan, who leads the Atlantic Tuition Waiver project, explained that less than 10% of former youth in care finish postsecondary education. While Gahagan praises Nova Scotia’s Path program, in which former youth in care can receive biweekly payments to be used for any purpose, she says that intervention should begin earlier. “This is a symptom of a bigger problem, which is to say: we’re not focusing on the educational attainment of kids in care. And we should be doing that,” concluded Gahagan.
