Left: Sandra Pupatello (campaign photo), Right: Kathleen Wynne (Silhouette file photo)

Post-secondary education has flown under the radar in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, to be decided next weekend.

While all of the candidates have identified paying down the deficit and creating jobs as economic priorities for Ontario, it’s not as clear how each plans to tackle the education sector, especially at the post-secondary level.

Of the six candidates who entered the race, only two released a separate statement on post-secondary education, and one of them has dropped out of the race.

After last weekend’s polling, Sandra Pupatello leads Kathleen Wynne among delegates, 504 to 463. The race is expected to end in a push to the end between the two.

Pupatello, a former Windsor MPP and education minister who chose not to run for re-election last year, is focusing on four issues: Northern Ontario, jobs and the economy, rural Ontario and social policy.

Like many other candidates, Pupatello has not directly addressed post-secondary education, but expressed that she wants to return to collective bargaining with teachers at the primary and secondary level.

Wynne, a Toronto MPP and former education minister, released her platform on post-secondary education last week.

Wynne wants to set up a youth advisory council similar to the one she established when she was the Minister of Education. The council would comprise representatives from student associations, Aboriginal youth, as well as those who have not pursued a post-secondary education.

On her promise to create more work and internship opportunities for students, Wynne said, “the labour force and the labour market don’t match.”

Gerard Kennedy, Harinder Takhar and Eric Hoskins have also responded to rising levels of youth unemployment, promising to create incentives for businesses to hire youth. However, they did not address quality of education in their platforms.

Regarding tuition, which has become particularly contentious in Ontario following the student protests in Quebec, Wynne said a sustained funding model with no cuts would be more realistic than tuition freezes or reductions.

“We have sustained funding set aside for education. What we won’t necessarily be able to do is increase funding,” said Wynne.

“I worry about loss of access if the government has to subsidize certain groups and not others,” said Wynne.

Glen Murray, former Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities who was first to enter the race, withdrew his bid last Thursday to endorse Wynne.

Before leaving the race, Murray proposed a radical ‘no money down tuition’ plan that would require payment based on income levels after graduation.

CFS-Ontario has repeatedly lobbied for province-wide tuition cuts, and expressed dissent for Murray’s plan. OUSA, an undergraduate student alliance representing McMaster, does not intend to take a stance on the candidates.

Given the heated debates that have arisen over youth unemployment and tuition hikes, why aren’t more candidates talking about post-secondary education?

Alex Sevigny, a McMaster communications professor who has worked as an advisor in three Liberal campaigns in Hamilton, says post-secondary education hasn’t been a salient issue in the provincial race because “it hasn’t been made a big issue.”

Teachers at the primary and secondary level, on the other hand, have elicited more of a response. They are also a big force in the delegates who will be voting, noted Sevigny.

“College and university professors have a less cohesive presence in the voting body within delegates,” he added.

Sevigny, who has worked with Liberal MPPs Judy Marsales, Ted McMeekin and Gerard Kennedy, now endorses Kennedy for Ontario Premier.

“Party renewal is a major concern of this leadership race, and so is the economy,” said Sevigny. “So far it’s been a very collaborative race. Whoever wins will be using portions of other candidates’ ideas.”

“We’re all Liberals but we have different priorities,” said Wynne, who has been vocal about her willingness to collaborate. “Investment in education has to be part of our policy.”

The question is how much investment will be made, how funds will be used, and to what extent post-secondary education will become a priority in the shadow of economic concerns.

Student and faculty groups in Ontario don’t like what the government has in store for the future of post-secondary education.

In response to a recent discussion paper by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), several groups say they do not agree with Minister Glen Murray’s proposed reforms.

Key issues raised by student leaders include government intrusion in post-secondary education, tuition hikes, a rapid shift toward technology-based education and incentivization of entrepreneurial learning.

The Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario (CFS Ontario) and the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA) are among those concerned about a perceived ‘unprecedented intrusion’ of government in the post-secondary sector.

“People who are in the best position to determine what's best for students are students themselves, faculty members and university administrators,” said Graeme Stewart, communications manager at OCUFA. “We want to keep decision-making power with [those parties].”

The MTCU’s discussion paper, entitled “Strengthening Ontario’s Centres of Creativity, Innovation and Knowledge” was drafted this past summer. To the dismay of student leaders, the paper was written without student consultation and publicized in late August during the back-to-school rush.

The paper comes on the heels of a controversial leaked policy paper in February, tentatively entitled "3 Cubed." The leaked document suggested that universities should increase efficiency by offering more three-year degrees and allowing students to get more than half their credits online.

MTCU’s recent summer discussion paper acknowledges a rapidly changing post-secondary education sector and the need for Ontario institutions to respond.

Though the proposal outwardly rejects efficiency-focused strategies to curb costs, it also aligns itself with the trend of "high quality outcome-based credentials" becoming the norm.

The report says “cost reductions and the elimination of redundancies are essential parts of our government’s fiscal plan,” but these are not enough to meet the fiscal challenges.

In the long term, the Ministry sees “adopting innovation in the sector to drive productivity” as the other half of the equation.

One proposed reform, a simpler credit transfer system, has already been implemented in a recent partnership between seven universities and has generally been well received.

“Credit transfer, online learning, different experiential options - these are all good things. Our concern is that the government seems to be saying: we’re going to tell you what to do, when to use online learning, when to use learning technologies, when to do co-op,” said Stewart.

There are several shared concerns put forward by CFS Ontario and OCUFA, showing overlap between student and faculty reactions to the Ministry's proposal.

 

Underfunded Ontario PSE sector

Respondents pointed to the fact that Ontario’s post-secondary sector is the least funded in the nation. Per-student funding currently stands at $8,349, which is 34 per cent below the national average, according to a 2011 Statistics Canada report.

“The underfunding problem is decades old in Ontario,” said Stewart, who cited Ontario’s per-student funding as the primary reason for a higher student-faculty ratio.

By 2009, Ontario’s ratio of students to full-time faculty was nearly seven per cent higher than the national average, according to a separate report by Stats Canada. Today, there are roughly 27 students for every professor in Ontario.

“This means students can’t have the same face-to-face interaction, professors aren’t as available, students find themselves in larger classes and they have fewer course choices. It also means universities don’t have the money to restore their older buildings,” said Stewart.

 

Higher rate of tuition increase

“When the government allows per-student funding to decrease, that puts pressure on institutions to increase tuition fees because they have to replace that revenue,” said Stewart.

This year, tuition fees across the nation have risen at more than three times the rate of inflation. Student and faculty representatives argue that this would create a more elite system and diminish accessibility to higher education.

“I don’t think we can say that right now, or even a couple of years ago, tuition fees were at the right place and we should increase rates with inflation,” said Sarah Jayne King, chairperson of CFS Ontario.

“Tuition fees are beyond the point where we can simply freeze them and be happy with that," said King.

CFS Ontario has drafted two tuition fee proposals for the most recent provincial budget that would have tuition fees reduced immediately by 25 per cent.

 

Emphasis on performance-based funding and incentivization

CFS Ontario criticized the proposal’s emphasis on ‘entrepreneurial learning’ and the practice of subsidizing private sector research via the post-secondary education system.

In their response, CFS Ontario asserts that “promoting the creation of business incubators or incentivizing entrepreneurial education in the province’s public colleges and universities does not facilitate knowledge, innovation or creativity.”

OCUFA similarly criticized the provincial government’s ‘performance funding’ model, saying it “makes quality improvement impossible” and unfairly punishes students.

“I don’t think the minister has a totally clear idea of what he wants yet, but our concern is that the recommendations in the paper tend to push the [post-secondary education] system toward this kind of labour market focus,” said Stewart.

 

Using technology as a cost-saving measure

“Students are concerned that online courses are going to be implemented as a cost-saving measure, when we know that to actually produce a high-quality online education is quite expensive,” said King.

There have been no concrete proposals put forward yet mandating that three out of five courses be online, said King, referring to the contents of the leaked ‘3 Cubed’ ministry document earlier this year.

However, she said there is continued concern among students that the education sector is headed in this direction.

 

The ministry asked that formal responses to the discussion paper be sent in by Sept. 30. Respondents include CFS (national), COPE, COU and OPSEU.

King and Stewart said they don’t know of any definitive timeline for a response from the Ministry, but representatives continue to be open to discussions with the government while awaiting a follow-up.

As many students have already experienced this year, OSAP is no longer primarily a paper process and there will be no more lineups to receive financial aid.

Glen Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, stopped in Hamilton this morning to give a statement about the streamlining of OSAP.

OSAP Express is the new application process, and it affects more than 300,000 applicants and recipients in Ontario. Approximately 15,000 post-secondary students in Hamilton are expected to benefit.

The program requires students to sign a loan agreement once in their post-secondary career rather than each academic year. Its aim is to speed up confirmation of enrolment and direct deposit processes, and to eliminate lineups at the financial aid office.

“This came as a result of student associations advocating for change in the system, and we've delivered,” said Murray.

He said the new program would make receiving student aid easier while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for institutions that choose to implement it.

“Moving forward, there is going to be a qualitative way in which we spend,” said Murray.

Huzaifa Saeed, Vice President (Education) of the McMaster Students Union, said at the announcement that OSAP Express is a much-needed step toward a more accessible post secondary system.

“The cost of education is a big issue, but a large part of the issue has to do with reception [of financial assistance].”

Pointing to a 2009 federal survey on financial literacy, Saeed said many students are in the dark about financial options and have not taken full advantage of all available student assistance.

Murray’s announcement comes on the heels of the 30 per cent off tuition grant introduced last January by the provincial government.

The grant, promised by the Liberals in the 2011 provincial election, aims to make education more affordable by delivering assistance with less hassle.

The program offers refunds of $1,680 to students in college and university programs and $770 to students for those in college diploma and certificate programs.

"So often, students are eligible for something and they don't know. As a result they end up not accessing that resource," said Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.

"Streamlining the process will put it all together for students to get that information."

Since the tuition grant came out, 200,000 refunds have been received, which means approximately 100,000 refunds have yet to be claimed.

The grant is available to full-time students at a public college or university in Ontario whose parents have a gross income of $160,000 or less. Students must be residents of Ontario and must have graduated high school within four years before applying directly to a postsecondary program.

Pension deficit, tuition increases remain parts of University budget

The Board of Governors passed McMaster’s 2012/13 Consolidated Budget last month, and the major points of concern cited by its authors remain largely unchanged from the previous few years.

Following the economic downturn of 2008, the University’s pension investments suffered, moving it to take money from its operating budget to support pension commitments. McMaster has been receiving solvency relief through programs by the Ontario government.

The budget also stipulated that the University “has limited fee-setting ability,” but that “McMaster’s policy is to maximize tuition fees within [provincial] regulations.” It is counting on a three per cent increase for domestic students and a six per cent increase for international students in both 2013/14 and 2014/15.

 

Occupy Glen

A group of Ontario students, including a few from McMaster, spent June 22 occupying the office of Glen Murray, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, to protest tuition fees.

The occupation was an initiative of Ontario’s chapter of the Canadian Federation of Students, a lobbying group to which the McMaster Students Union does not belong. About 20 students had gathered inside Murray’s office and another 20 were outside, handing out information to passers-by.

The students were there to express concerns over tuition increases outlined in the recent Ontario budget. The occupation was also a show of solidarity with Quebec students, who have been taking to the streets in the thousands over the last number of months to oppose a proposed five-year increase to tuition caps in the province.

 

Access Copyright deal reached

Despite concerns expressed by student representatives, McMaster University signed a deal with Access Copyright that will increase a per-student fee from $3.38 to $26. Along with the deal, Access Copyright removed the $0.10 per-page fee on courseware it charged to universities, though it is unclear if this will mean a decrease in courseware prices charged by the University.

Other universities have taken different directions, either choosing not to download the cost of the fee onto students or working around Access Copyright to establish cheaper copyright deals directly with publishers.

During negotiations, the University published a Q&A document “to provide the students, staff and faculty with responses to some concerns raised to date.” University of Toronto law professor Ariel Katz published a detailed critique of the document, pointing out flaws in both the facts presented in the Q&A and the arguments made.

The Q&A document has since been removed from McMaster Daily News.

Carleton, Guelph, Memorial, Queen’s and Trent are the latest in a sizeable group of universities that have turned down an Access Copyright deal.

A group of Ontario students, including a few from McMaster, spent the day on Friday occupying the office of Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Glen Murray to protest tuition fees.

“We decided to occupy Glen Murray’s office today to bring attention to the fact this week’s budget that was passed does not address students’ concerns at all, and [Ontario politicians] are continuing to increase our fees even though we were promised a reduction in tuition fees in the election,” said Sarah Jayne King, who is chairperson of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

The occupation was also a show of solidarity with Quebec students, who have been taking to the streets in the thousands over the last number of months to oppose a proposed five-year increase to tuition caps in the province.

About 20 students had gathered inside Murray’s office and another 20 were outside, handing out information to passers-by, said King.

She explained that the students had gathered in response to a call for a June 22 “mass mobilization day” proposed by Quebec protestors.

Although Minister Murray did not appear to be present, the occupiers provided his staff with a “peace code,” which explained that they would be holding a non-violent and non-destructive occupation that would last until 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

The McMaster Students Union is not a member of CFS, but belongs to another national lobbying group, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. There has been disagreement between McMaster student politicians on the appropriateness of the MSU participating in CFS campaigns.

Ryan Sparrow, who was one of four McMaster students at the occupation, introduced a motion, which passed, to the Student Representative Assembly last year that proposed the MSU officially “stand in solidarity” with Quebec students.

CFS has taken issue with the 30-per-cent-off Ontario tuition grant introduced by the Ontario Liberals after the last election, which CFS says was not distributed as widely as advertised. They are proposing an across-the-board, 13 per cent tuition reduction for students to replace the grant.

They presented to the Ontario government's finance committee prior to the June 19 budget vote, offering recommendations that they said would reduce tuition by 25 per cent and not add to the provincial government’s costs.

“Student are upset. Whether or not their students union is a member of [CFS], students care about this issue,” said King.