MONTREAL - The Quebec government is offering what it hopes will be seen as an olive branch to the province's students.
Education Minister Line Beauchamp says she's prepared to work with a student group to set up an independent commission to manage university finances.
But Beauchamp also says she remains committed to the tuition fee hikes, which are the main sticking point for students.
Students have been very critical of the way universities in the province are run.
More than 165,000 Quebec students have been fighting against the provincial government's plan to hike tuition fees for the past two months.
Liberal Premier Jean Charest wants to increase tuition fees by $325 annually over the next five years, bringing them to about $3,800 a year.
At a news conference Sunday, Beauchamp said she's not prepared to negotiate with another leading student group because it has failed to condemn violent forms of protest.
Seven people were arrested on Friday shortly after a group broke into and vandalized Beauchamp's Montreal office.
On Saturday, thousands of students and their supporters held another peaceful march through the streets of Montreal.
