Higher education students in British Columbia honed in on the provincial government's unwillingness to reduce education costs, delivering a 38,000-name petition to the Victoria legislature last month that called for tuition fees to be reduced.

The Liberal government ended a six-year tuition freeze three years ago, and costs for students "have more than doubled" since then says Lisa MacLeod, B.C. chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students.

University tuition fees in B.C. increased an average 16 per cent this year, and are now $600 per student more expensive than the national average.

"The government is now reporting an $865 million budget surplus outlook for this year, but the outlook for B.C.'s students is bleak," MacLeod said. "$452 million of that surplus was raised through tuition fees, and it's time students got a break."

Students also called on the government to restore $50 million cut from the student grant program earlier this year and to increase funding to post-secondary education institutions.

Students also called on the government to restore $50 million cut from the student grant program earlier this year and to increase funding to post-secondary education institutions.