Canada is shutting down its only college-level education program in federal prisons. The federal government is ending the initiative, which has been funded for over 50 years, as part of a 130 million dollar budget cut.

Cégep Marie-Victorin, the college that received 200,000 dollars a year to run the courses, has awarded 360 diplomas and certificates to inmates since the program began. The college’s director general, Louis Gendron, learned of the decision during a recent meeting. He believes the program provided a vital sense of hope for those behind bars. In recent years, the courses were only offered at two penitentiaries, with about 60 inmates enrolled each year.