Federal Officials: Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk

Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk: Virk said in an interview that he and Jobs Minister Shirley Bond both wanted post-secondary schools to continue delivering ESL training to immigrants and domestic students, but that federal officials had other ideas. , according to Times Colonist. The ministry revealed this week that colleges and universities will lose $17 million in federal funding that the schools use to deliver ESL programs. Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk denied Thursday that the provincial government has endorsed changes that will strip colleges and universities of money for teaching English as a second language. Our preference would be to retain the current funding model, Virk said. At no time have we endorsed a program that results in reduced funding for some of these critical ESL programs. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.