NWT announces changes to SFA to remove barriers to education

The Government of the Northwest Territories has announced changes to the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) program in order to remove barriers to postsecondary education. NWT has made a variety of changes, including increasing the benefit levels for tuition, books, and living allowances; increasing Grants for Students with Disabilities and expanding supports to students with persistent or prolonged disabilities; removing semester limits and expanding remissible loans; providing additional funding for tuition and book costs for Northern Indigenous students; and removing suspension penalties for withdrawing from or failing a course or program. “The changes will remove barriers that may prevent Indigenous students from achieving their educational goals and will promote access to post-secondary education for all NWT residents,” said NWT Minister of Education, Culture and Employment RJ Simpson.