More pressure on Canadian universities as enrolments increase

Canadian Press (2009) University enrolment up, as grads return to school Macleans Oncampus, October 26

University enrolments in Canada for the 2009-2010 academic year were up 4.5% from the previous year.

From the report:

The spike in enrolment is occurring as cash-strapped governments make cuts to already underfunded universities, which, they say, degrades the quality of education for students who continue to pay sky high tuition fees.

James Turk, executive director of Canadian Association of University Teachers says while the government recognizes that education is key to economic recovery, it is not placing enough emphasis on funding.

To reach the funding level seen in the 1980s, when there were fewer university students, the government would need to increase funding by $4.2 billion a year, Turk said.

Well, I’m sorry, Mr. Turk, but that ain’t going to happen. So what is going to be the universities’ strategy to deal with this situation: more of the same old, same old, with bigger and over-crowded classes, higher tuition fees, and poorer service; or a fundamental re-think of how teaching and learning should be delivered? Do we need a 9/11 moment before change occurs in our universities? I sure hope not.