OK guys... I have to apologize right now, before I get into this text – because, of all the posts, this one will seem more like “improv” than previous posts. And so, with that:
25% Tuition Hike Touted
Um, pardon me? Last I checked the world (not just our precious little country) was undergoing what is all but called a depression! And, last I checked the Ontario Government has a plan in place to reduce poverty in the province by 25% within 5 years. OK – so, that’s an Ontario-only plan, maybe we don’t need to worry about the rest of the country?
Have we absolutely gone mad?? HOW DO OUR GOVERNMENTS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS DARE TELL US THAT EDUCATION HAS TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE? How can you increase fees for education while trying to reduce poverty? It must be nice to be making a six figure salary in the stone towers of Parliament Hill or Queen’s Park and to think that the rest of Canadians can just “pay” for their own, or their kids’, education over and above what it already costs. Craziness!
Meanwhile – and here’s the fun optic – President Obama has made education in the US a priority... committing to making post-secondary education affordable, and committing $53B US to American education institutions and systems; asking Americans to commit to at least 1 year of post-secondary education. So, maybe Canada has a slightly reasonable logic behind this ridiculous imposition (is that even possible?); but Canadians can also tune into NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and even Fox... so, if you think people are just sitting around saying “Oh, OK – let’s pay more for our education”, you’ve lost your mind! Canadians are ticked! They’re saying: “how can a country, that is WAY deeper in debt than us, put a priority on education, and we can sleep at night asking our citizens to pay more!?” Take a look at the 5th bullet on this page of the America Recovery Act.
Now, and when I’m not ranting I’ll spend more time on providing facts about this, in Europe, there are some countries (Scandinavian countries, Greece) who pay for the students’ undergrad degrees – ah, wouldn’t THAT be nice? Some people might question the quality of a “free, public education”, but according to research from the Canadian Council on Learning, we could question our own:
- More than one million Canadians aged 25 to 44 have not completed high school and approximately 1.6 million 16- to 25-year-olds have less than Level 3 literacy, the standard considered the minimum to function effectively in a knowledge-based society such as Canada. (pg.8)
- In 2005, Canada placed 22nd of 26 reporting countries in the share of public expenditures on PSE. At 55.1%, Canada’s share was well below the OECD average of 73.1% and the EU average of 82.5%. (pg.10)
- In 2005-2006, nearly 350,000 full-time students received close to $2 billion in financial aid from the Canada Student Loans Program. (pg.10)
- Undergraduate tuition fees increased 36.4% between 2000–2001 and 2008–2009. Since 1996–1997, the rise in undergraduate tuition costs has exceeded the rise in the Consumer Price Index every school year except 2005–2006. (pg.10)
- Both the number of students borrowing, and the average amounts they borrowed have increased substantially in recent years. (pg.10)
WE ARE ON THE BRINK!
We are on the brink of taxing and imposing costs on my country’s future for the mistakes of my country’s past. Ah – go for it, call me a “typically complaining and unhappy Gen X’er – I won’t be offended (for once)!
NO!! Canadian families cannot afford increases in their children’s tuitions – they’re losing their jobs!
NO!! Students can’t find part-time jobs as easily as you ($100K+ folks) think; the jobs – if the companies aren’t closing – are being given to those parents who are losing their jobs!
NO!! Canadians won’t stand for your recommendations; and I can only HOPE that our Governments won’t cave to such ridiculous pressures!
If we want a strong future for OUR country, and for OUR culture, and for OUR youth – then THIS is not the way to go! Talk to students, talk to families and talk to people – you may be enlightened to find out that they’re not interested in tuition hikes.
And, I’d also like to go on record as saying that I do understand the important value of post-secondary institutions. Believe me, I’m probably one of the biggest fans.
But, if you turn these institutions into country clubs for rich kids, then what kind of vision are you building for the future of this country? My Country! And, yours too – right?
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Well I don't deny that education doesn't have its costs, or that a 25% increase within 5 years won't have a huge impact for many people's decision on what kind of post secondary education they'll have, however I will argue that in Canada we are fortunate to have a heavily government subsidized higher education system that has made an extremely high quality education accessible to many more people than the system in the US. At least in Canada you can attend school without having to be super smart (to get a scholarship) or super athletic (again to get a scholarship) or simply super rich.
ReplyDeleteYes, I went into debt in order to attend university, but I was able to pay my own tuition for the first 2 years just working a summer job (which was provided by the Gov't of Ontario, so really my first 2 years could be said to have been completely subsidized by the government). I know students now that work hard during the summer and are able to pay their way for the following year. It's not impossible.
Also why does everyone have to go to university? Had I known better myself I would have gone to a community college and learned something useful. There is this huge stigma around a college education that's really unfair. Colleges are even more accessible and students ACTUALLY learn something they'll be able to use to find a job right out of school.
Canadian schools, like the roads and water systems and everything else it seems, need more money in order to stay state of the art, repair buildings and run top notch programs. The government is already going into massive deficit during these rough economic times; it can't always be the government.
Absolutely superb blog ... our government cannot jeopardize the future of all those who want to and have the ability to get a college or university education by making it even more onerous for them financially than it is already! You're absolutely right the example of Obama's US signal on higher education (or Europe's longstanding example) should be heeded by our governments ... and a bunch of real 'crazies', totally out of touch with the already 'skyrocketing' debtloads of all too many of our university and college students (just so they can stay at school until they get their degrees or their certificates), should not be allowed to dictate policy in this country. I hope our governments make wise decisions in this area ... so very vital to the future of our young people and our country! A retired teacher.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the CDN education system, like so much of what is subsidized by our government, blesses us... But, I guess what I'm trying to get at is that better management of programs that don't work (i.e. recall the gun registry program) could liberate funds for better management of an education system (or an ailing health care system for that matter).
ReplyDeleteI also think the 25% tuition hike was not just for universities, but also for colleges... and though college education is less expensive, a 25% hike in tuition rates will still hurt their students.
I am in complete agreement that not everyone needs to go to university, but I think everyone needs the opportunity to access post-secondary education - whatever that might be!
My real problem is that, in my humble opinion, it appears governments far too often turn to taxing the citizens to fund mis-managed programs rather than spending time doing a REAL review of the mis-management. It's quite impressive when you consider that proper management of programs not only provides more effective and efficient programs, but also magically saves a bundle of cash which could then be used to: reduce debt, fund ailing programs that need to be funded, and reduce taxes which in turn can help boost a country's economy.
Call me crazy - but I support proper management vs. price increases. I'd even accept a term of reduced admissions (with proper management for future years) to review the management of our education system; but let's also remember: the kneebone is connected to the leg bone. Programs cannot and should not be reviewed in silos!
The proposed tuition hike does not address the real issue; the issue is that our education system is set up in such a way that if we can repeat what a prof said on a given day about a given subject then great, you get an A.
ReplyDeleteEducation is not about being able to memorize theories on a piece of paper at the end of the year, education is about helping you experience and understand the natural consequences of decisions; education is about helping you discover your unique talents and skills and how to use them in the real world.
Our current education model is flawed from day one, instead of discovering and developing our talents, our education is set up in a way that rewards memory and nothing else. Let's be honest, not everyone deserved and A or for that matter an F, maybe just maybe that A student is book smart but will never ever be able to apply the principles he or she has learned.
Instead of a tuition hike, why not implement a system of repayment based on grades or GPA, for example, if you have an overall A+ then you only have to repay 10% of the loan, if you have an overall B+ you have to repay 15% of the loan and so forth.
An uneducated population is much easier to control.
Dave
The Great(er) Divide
ReplyDeleteHike tuition 25% during a recession? Not smart. Historically, during tough economic times and job losses, people tended to flock back to school – to retrain in a field that has a shortage of workers (say health care or trades anyone?). In turn, they will graduate and fill the gaps needed to boost the economy - smart move. Step in a government proposal to hike tuition and you add further fuel to a downward spiral and negative growth. Herein lies the great divide, once again. The affluent get educated, the masses get more impoverished. Two tier education versus universal education. A 25% tuition hike restricts access. Education – a right or an entitlement? Rosie