| When it comes to politics, Albertans tend towards repetition. In the 99 years of Alberta’s existence, there have been four changes in governing parties. Each time change didn’t come easy; it was motivated by high levels of electorate discontent. With his staff of 133 spin doctors, nearly triple the number employed in 1993, Premier Ralph Klein has manipulated Albertans as creatures of political habit. As long as he assures the majority of voters that everything is running smoothly in the province, the Conservatives won’t be leaving office.
For this election, a coalition made up of faculty members and students has thrown itself in the ring with the Tory spin doctors in a non-partisan effort to inform voters that everything is not all right in Alberta when it comes to the state of our post-secondary education system.
The "It’s Time to Wise Up" campaign (www.wiseup.ca) was initiated by the coalition to increase awareness about the issues facing post-secondary education in Alberta and build voter support. Members of the coalition, representing almost 200,000 stakeholders in Alberta’s post-secondary system, are pushing to have their front-line message heard. And that message is clear: the system is not meeting society’s needs.
"For the richest province, it’s not only unfortunate, it’s embarrassing. It shows bad priorities," says Bryan West, president of the University of Calgary Students’ Union. "Quality of education has been declining, as there is less money coming in per student. There has been a huge enrolment wave; it’s a huge crunch on the system. We’re now dealing with an outdated system and it’s not sustainable."
His perception has been echoed across the country. Maclean’s Magazine recently repeated last year’s record low ranking of the University of Calgary, putting it in 14th place out of the 15 universities compared in the medical-doctoral category. Within the same Maclean’s study, the U of C ranked dead last in the number of graduates who rated their educational experience as being "very good," with only 43 per cent of graduates saying so. Months before, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives ranked the Alberta post-secondary system seventh out of 10 provinces, based on indicators of equity, accountability, quality and accessibility.
West attributes the decrease in quality to a decade of funding cuts to the U of C. "There’s been drastic changes. Since about 1993, we’ve seen government per-student funding at the university drop from $4.86 for every one dollar of tuition provided by students to $1.91 today," he says. Alberta institutions, in an effort to manage these cutbacks, have been forced to decrease their operating expenses. Course offerings have been scaled back, support staff and faculty numbers have dropped, and class sizes have increased. Library holdings have decreased and student access to new technology has been compromised.
Decreased government funding has also led to increased tuition and student debt. While government funding has dropped 28 per cent since 1993, tuition has increased by 185 per cent at universities and 250 per cent at colleges during the same time period. Facts indicating that students from low-income backgrounds are only 53-per-cent likely to continue their education after high school suggest that tuition increases are hampering the accessibility of post-secondary programs in Alberta. This is a scary reality in light of the fact that, in our knowledge-based economy, 70 per cent of all new jobs being created demand some form of post-secondary education.
In socio-economic terms, the limited accessibility to the post-secondary system is jeopardizing the future of our province. "We know that PSE (post-secondary education) grads are less likely to end up in jail, on social welfare, and are more likely to make more money and contribute to the tax base," says West.
Apparently, Alberta Learning agrees with West. According to the provincial department’s website, "post-secondary education is one of the best investments government can make and it continues to be a priority." Josepha Vanderstoop, a spokesperson with Alberta Learning, says that "since 1996, support to post-secondary institutions has increased by 58 per cent. There is sort of a perception that there have been cuts." Indeed, since 1996, the Alberta government has bolstered its funding to post-secondary schools from $770 million to $1.2 billion. Currently, Alberta allocates 6.1 per cent of total government expenditures to post-secondary education, a figure above the national average of 5.5 per cent.
But West argues that it hasn’t been enough. "Here’s why they can say that and here’s why it’s not helping. In absolute dollars, not counting for inflation, funding has increased. In real dollars, taking into account inflation, funding has decreased. You’re using the same pool, or slightly increased pool of money, to accommodate a much larger program," he says.
Alberta post-secondary institutions have been forced to accommodate some of the largest enrolment increases across the country. In 1992, enrolment stood at 104,000 students, while this year saw 139,000 students enrolled. And that’s only the students who were admitted. The University of Calgary rejected some 10,500 applicants this year, while students admitted at SAIT overcame odds of three applicants for every existing seat at SAIT.
Another problem identified by West lies in the funding devoted to capital projects.
"The province is the king of one-time funding," he says, pointing to capital projects that are initiated by the province, which then leaves the university "with trying to staff it with professors or turn the lights on. Instead of helping the university, it creates a drain on the core operating budget."
Solutions to all of these challenges are embedded in the "It’s Time to Wise Up" campaign. An increase in post-secondary education funding, greater control over escalating tuition fees and the creation of more spaces in the post-secondary system in Alberta are some of the demands the campaign is making on Alberta politicians. In particular, the campaign is calling for the increased funding to be applied to the core operating budgets of post-secondary institutions, in an effort to return base operation grants to 1993 levels. The campaign is asking that any funding be adjusted for inflation and increases in student enrolment.
The province’s political parties have been listening. The Liberals have vowed to increase funding, direct 35 per cent of annual surpluses to establish a Post-secondary Endowment Fund, increase the number of post-secondary seats available and freeze tuition fees. The New Democratic Party aims to roll back tuition fees by 10 per cent, enhance student loan remissions and bursaries, and address the infrastructure deficit of post-secondary institutions. The Conservative platform includes maintaining limits on tuition increases and ensuring that the student loan program adequately responds to the needs of students.
The 200,000 people behind the campaign are hoping that voters are listening as well. |
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