After enjoying a full year at school in P.E.I., the door has been slammed shut on a Colombian teenager.
Santiago Lopez, 16, first came to the Island in 2007. He stayed with his aunt and uncle, Monica and Alejandro Ceballos, in the couple's Charlottetown apartment.
The Ceballos also welcomed a second nephew into their home at that time. Both boys attended school for one year. There was no cost. There were no problems.
When Santiago returned in September 2009 in hopes of going back to school here again, he encountered nothing but barriers trying to get into Colonel Gray High School in Charlottetown.
Alejandro says the Department of Education demanded proof that Lopez was a dependant of the Ceballos, who came to the Island from Colombia four years ago. The department did not ask for such documentation when Lopez attended school here in 2007.
The policy, Ceballos is certain, has not changed since then.
"We followed the same process and everything is different now," he said.
So rather than continuing his education and improving his English by going to school in P.E.I., Lopez has spent a frustrating four months left to wile away his time.
Lopez says he came here with the hope of learning to speak better English to broaden his opportunities "for life and everything."
Alejandro Ceballos adds the experience also offers his nephew a good opportunity to open his mind to other cultures and new people.
"Here in Canada, and in particular in Prince Edward Island, you can have that opportunity because we have many cultures here," he said. "In Colombia, we don't have that."
The Education Department has declared that Lopez is not eligible for free school privileges, explains Rev. John Molina, a friend of the Ceballos who is trying to help get Lopez into school. The Education Department views Lopez's relationship with his aunt and uncle as a custodianship agreement and not as a legal guardianship, says Molina.
Molina raised the boy's plight in a letter to The Guardian earlier this week.
If a child is not living with parents who are residents of P.E.I., in order to receive free schooling they must be with a legal guardian, says a spokesperson with the Education Department. A legal guardian is considered to be an Island resident who is eligible to claim the student as a dependant under the federal Income Tax Act.
As it stands now, Lopez would only be able to go to school on the Island if he pays tuition of $5,000 per semester.
The Ceballos cannot afford the $10,000 required to put Lopez through a full year of school here or even the $5,000 for a single semester. Both are students. Monica is looking to return to her profession of nursing while Alejandro has a sponsorship to pursue his PhD in veterinary medicine at the Atlantic Veterinary College.
The Ceballos are, though, providing for all of Lopez's needs during his stay on the Island.
Molina acknowledges that the Education Department does not want to set a precedent with Lopez's case by bypassing policy that currently sees 15-20 students paying tuition to attend public schools in P.E.I.
"I am also aware of the emails that describe immigrants as vampires that come to Canada to suck up all the resources we have," he added.
"However, I am also a witness to the tradition of generosity of Islanders … Why then do we close the doors of the school to someone who wants to study but does not have the resources?"
With the possibility of being able to attend school here seemingly an uphill struggle at best, Lopez is considering the option of returning to Colombia and leaving behind his Canadian dream. Even coming up with ticket fare home will require assistance.
Anyone interested in seeing how he or she may assist Lopez may call Rev. John Molina at 902-628-3147 or 902-961-2265.
Free schooling facts:
The School Act states that free public schooling will be provided to the following:
- Students between the ages of six and 20 years and living with a parent who is a resident of the province.
- Students between the ages of six and 20 years and living with an adult guardian who is a resident in the province and who is eligible to claim the student as a dependant under the federal Income Tax Act.
- Students between the ages of 16 and 20 years and not living with a parent or guardian as determined in accordance with the minister's directives.
