Translating the printemps érable

Lisa-Marie Gervais             September 12, 2012

Original French Text: http://www.ledevoir.com/societe/education/358995/l-universite-est-de-moins-en-moins-abordable

Since 1990, the cost of studies in Canada has increased three times more quickly than inflation.

Far from following inflation, the cost of studies has taken off rather sharply everywhere in Canada in the last decade, making university less and less affordable reports a new study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). Since 1990, the cost of undergraduate university, including tuition and related costs, has increased by 6.2% annually, that is to say three times faster than inflation. And if the trend continues, it will increase by nearly 18% in four years. 

In the ranking of provinces where study is more costly, Quebec could maintain it’s position at ninth or tenth, when the PQ government who will cancel the tuition increase rather than increase it, will take power. With a bill for $ 4472 in 2015 to 2016, it would be found however in eighth position before Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador, if the defeated Liberal government’s plan was implemented. With the costs of $ 9,231 in 2015 to 2016, Ontario is the least affordable province. 

Erika Shaker, co-author of the study recognizes that Quebec has always had the lowest tuition- and the lowest debt, which averages $15,000, against $27,000 on average in Canada – even if Newfoundland and Labrador win the prize for affordability when counting the fees. She believes however, that even in the scenario of the PQ government, “deliberate actions should be taken to prove that the real intention of the government is to make studies more affordable,” she told le Devoir. 

Ms. Shaker believes it is not enough to compare the rates of university enrolment to conclude that the cost of studies has no real impact on the choice of the young. According to her, the study demonstrates that the majority of the provinces have not decided to keep the costs to an acceptable level, but rather to offer students better interest rates or flexible payment terms. 

She argues that we must also look at the effects of the decline on the part of public funding in universities and its effects on the students. “And what we may risque is that several students will delay their studies and wait until they have the money,” she said. 

A new index

This is not the first time that the CCPA, a research group, traditionally rather left,  focuses on accessibility to education. But this time, it compares the cost of studying in the various provinces through a new index, that data changes in the evolution of tuition and mandatory fees from adverts and government policies. This cost of studies index serves to measure the effect of certain government policies and the impact, increasing or decreasing, of the cost of studies on two types of families, the middle class and low income. The index does not take into account certain factors, such as financial aid, because it is not universal. 

Therefore the index of the cost of education in Quebec, which was by far the most affordable province for university studies in 1990-1991, seems to have increased by 2015-2016. Because even in the context of simple tuition indexing tuition the cost of living like what the Parti Quebecois wants, Quebec should clearly distance themselves from Newfoundland and Labrador, where the cost of studies will decrease en regard to the income of middle class families and those with low incomes. 

Another OECD study

In comparing Canada to other countries of the world on the matter of education, it is a rather good figure, we learned from a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) made public yesterday. 

Around 50% of Canadian adults hold a college or university diploma, which corresponds to an increase of 14 percentage points over the course of the last 15 years. This proportion is the highest in the OECD.

We also learned that the fight against school dropout bears fruit in the country: one in ten adults in Canada has not finished high school, whereas 15 years ago, this figure was was one in five adults. But since other countries catch up for lost time, the competitions seems more fierce than ever on the international scene, notes the report. 

Published every year by the OECD, “Education at a glance 2012” sets up a sort of state of education in the world, taking into consideration especially the demographic profile of student populations and of human and financial resources invested in education.