HALIFAX--Today Progressive Conservative Education Critic, Karen Casey, tabled petitions in the provincial legislature with more than 1, 000 signatures from students and community members calling on the government to increase funding to post-secondary education, reduce tuition fees and raise the grants portion of provincial student loans from 20 to 50 percent.

"Students have now presented over 4000 petitions calling on the government to reduce fees and drop student debt and still we have seen no action from this government," said Elise Graham, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students Nova Scotia. "Increasingly students and our families feel betrayed by the Dexter government, which long supported a well-funded, affordable, and accessible education system of post-secondary education while in opposition."

Nova Scotia students have been collecting petition signatures on campuses throughout the province as well as sending letters and emails to their MLA's this semester in advance of a student day of action on February 2, 2011, calling on the government to reduce tuition fees and drop student debt. Students also presented 3, 000 signatures on the petition to Premier Darrell Dexter last January.

"Students will continue to put pressure on our elected representatives to take a principled stance and invest in post-secondary education, reduce tuition fees and drop student debt," said Graham. "Reducing fees and student debt is clearly a better deal for Nova Scotia and until our government acknowledges this, MLAs can only expect to receive more letters, more emails and more petition signatures from students."In September, the government released a report, written by former Bank of Montreal Executive Vice-President Tim O'Neill, that recommends large, unregulated tuition fees hikes and policy changes that would cause student debt to increase indefinitely. The memorandum of understanding between the provincial government and the university presidents that guaranteed universities three years of funding as well as a tuition fee freeze for Nova Scotia students expires March 31, 2011.