The cost of tuition and books, along with availability of scholarships and student loans, were among the top concerns voiced by Weyburn students and parents to the province's two education ministers on Thursday.

Education Minister Jim Melenchuk paid a visit to the Weyburn Comprehensive School in the afternoon, while Post-Secondary Education Minister Glenn Hagel met with the board of the Southeast Regional College. In the evening, the two ministers co-hosted a public meeting on the topic of financing post-secondary education at the Comp, with around 40 people present.

The Weyburn stop was number 14 in a series of 15 meetings around the province, and the two ministers will sit down this week to start going over the accumulated materials. Melenchuk said the ministers plan to have a proposal ready for the provincial budget, expected to come down in March, using the price tag for the NDP's original tuition proposal of around $20 million for the first year.

Melenchuk sat down with a dozen Comp students in the afternoon, most of them in Grade 12, to talk about any concerns they had about post-secondary education. He then took a tour of the renovated areas of the Comp for the integration project with the Regional College, and met with staff and board members.

All of the assembled students said they would be taking post-secondary schooling, and a few indicated they would be going out-of-province. When asked by the minister why, one said the cost of housing was a factor. Another said the choice of school was his determining factor.

When Melenchuk asked if any students had money put away for schooling, one student replied, "Barely any - just enough for tuition for the first year. I've been looking at scholarships and bursaries, but basically it's hopes, prayers and dreams."

A handful indicated their parents had begun RESPs to set aside money for education.

Comp principal Ken Larson suggested if provincial money was available, it should be given to the institutions to help make their tuition fees more affordable.

"That's a suggestion we've heard at nearly every meeting. Fees have gone up 97 per cent in the last nine years. The average tuition for the bachelor of arts program in the first year is $3,200; that's quite a significant jump from 1991 to '99," said Melenchuk.

On the option of paying for tuition fees for students, suggestions were made to the minister to split up payments, such as paying for a student's first and third years, or third and fourth years, as an incentive to stay with the program to the end.

One student, Jordan Anderson, said one suggestion is to have the tuition money up front so the student won't have an unreasonable debt load at the end of a four-year program.

Another student, Michelle Pilon, said she'll be on student loans for her education, and suggested an incentive would be to pay a portion of the loans for those students who successfully complete their programs.

In the evening, her father, Denis, brought up a couple points of concern, including the spiralling costs of textbooks, and a problem that will be coming up for his children in getting student loans.

Pilon said his older childrens' eligibility for student loans is partially based on the number of children he has at home, but this won't be the case by the time his youngest child goes off to university or college.

"The whole issue of student loans comes up quite a bit, with 30 to 40 per cent of our students on loans," said Melenchuk, adding the percentage is higher in the technical-vocational courses. One problem the ministers have heard about is middle income earners whose children cannot qualify for student loans.

One student pointed out that a problem is the volunteer time required to qualify to receive scholarships or bursaries, making it difficult to find the time to hold down a part-time job.

Support for the idea of paying tuition on the condition of successful completion of the course or program came from Donnett Elder, chairwoman of the Weyburn Central School Division and the Weyburn Comp board, who added her board was concerned over the accessibility of post-secondary education for rural students.

"The board would support a final year of free tuition to help students with their commitment. This type of system would eliminate abuse of the system," said Elder, adding the local board at Fillmore 33 Central School also feels there should be strings attached to any kind of tuition assistance, such as tying it to marks or staying in school.

A differing view came from former Comp teacher and current regional college instructor George Hoffman, who warned against any factors that would discriminate against certain students or prevent some students from seeking a post-secondary education.

"It has to be realistic and it has to be fair. We have to be very careful about who we're going to exclude and include. When I hear about 80 averages I get very nervous. I think this is a massive problem. We have to be careful not to be too elitist," said Hoffman, adding he doesn't think the government can afford to do too much more than help provide some tuition relief to students.

On the topic of scholarships, Sherry Leach of the Southeast Regional Education Foundation suggested scholarships and bursaries would do a lot more good if they were available to a lot more than just the top student in a class or subject area.

She said one way the government could help make this possible is to provide matching dollars for donations towards scholarships and bursaries, which would also promote the culture of giving.

"Selecting students (for scholarships) is the toughest thing we have to do, and a number get left out. It would be really nice to widen the base of people who can become eligible," said Leach, noting the foundation has given out more than $77,000 in awards and scholarships, $28,000 in awards through local sources and more than $50,000 towards the distance education program.

In total the foundation has helped out over 300 students in the last eight years, after starting with one award in 1991. This year the foundation gave out $26,000 in awards to 52 students, said Leach.

Summing up what he and Melenchuk have been hearing around the province, Hagel said the main themes which keep arising as problems that need addressing include cash flow during a students' time in college or university, the cost of housing and child care, and tuition fees - in particular the need to keep them at a reasonable level.

The solutions to be presented in the March budget will need to be realistic, affordable and sustainable, added Melenchuk, citing the criteria given them by the government.