Mature students / : Policy paper, mature students

The contribution of 70 percent of a spouse’s net income during the school year (and 80 percent of the combined family income in the pre-study period) is usually in excess of students’ eligible costs,7 making it difficult for mature students to demonstrate their financial need. [...] Bob Rae’s 2005 review of higher education in Ontario stated that, “adult learning should be promoted actively,” as a, “significant public policy objective for Ontario”.20 Since the release of this review, an important goal of the provincial government has been ensuring that the current and future workforce in Ontario has the knowledge and skillset to meet the future economic needs of the Province. [...] Peter Jarvis has outlined how ‘the nature of the knowledge used is changing at a tremendously rapid rate…every marginal addition to the body of scientific knowledge is potentially valuable in the knowledge economy.”28 As articulated by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), we must recognize that “education and training contribute to the human capital of individuals and make them [...] Mature students add to the variety and richness of any student body by enhancing the interaction students have with peers from diverse backgrounds, while increasing the opportunity for students to learn through a variety of outlets.31 Not only do mature students differ in age from the traditional university population, many will have a few years, or more, of experience in a variety of fields that [...] I tend to be a little more quiet at school where I wait a couple of weeks in to make a few comments and people realize that you’re just the same as they are.”40 Ageist stigma is reflected in the exclusion that develops as traditional students band together in peer groups.41 The exclusion is not a deliberate slight, but many students fail to consider or fail to assist mature students who may not be