A proposal to limit tuition increases shows the province has listened to the needs of post-secondary students, says a student representative from Red Deer College.
This week, the province proposed amendments that would extend a tuition freeze to 2019-20. And starting in 2012, tuition increases for individual programs would be limited to 10 per cent, but an institution’s average tuition cost would be restricted to the Consumer Price Index.
“For prospective students, being able to budget is going to make their lives easier and encourage more people to enter post secondary,” said Chaise Combs, president of the Students’ Association of Red Deer College.
“If tuition can skyrocket from one year to the next, it makes it very hard to budget, but also makes you less willing to want to do it, because that financial stress really can take a toll on people.”
Average yearly tuition at RDC costs $3,500.
Bill 19 also adds a second student to the board of governors at all institutions that don’t already have two.
“For RDC, that’s very big news. It’s something that the Students’ Association of Red Deer College has been advocating for for many years. It’s more student perspective at the highest level of government in the institution,” Combs said.
The bill caps apprenticeship fee hikes to the Consumer Price Index, provides increased tuition predictability for international students, and empowers students to have more say over fee increases.
But Combs said giving students a voice in mandatory non-instructional fee increases would have been better if it was part of the legislation. As a regulation, it can be easily overturned.
RDC president Joel Ward said Bill 19 was “absolutely student friendly.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a government that has been so focused on students, in not only managing their costs, but also by adding a second student to our board of governors.
“They have said very clearly we want to ensure post secondary is accessible and affordable and that the student voice matters.”
Ward said tying tuition hikes to the Consumer Price Index is common in other provinces and was expected.
By extending the tuition freeze for a fifth consecutive year, the province ensured that education is affordable, but the flip side is it puts pressure on institutions as their costs go up, he said.
About 23 per cent of a post-secondary institution’s revenue comes from tuition, about 50 per cent is from government grants, and the rest is from auxiliary revenue, such as food sales, books, rentals and donations.
“If you restrict one of those three streams and its ability to grow, then it does present challenges to an institution in terms of making tough decisions about what they can continue to do and what they will not do any more. We look at the lower-level priorities. It’s a juggling act for sure,” Ward said.
“We have to be more effective, more efficient and look at ways in which we can continue to deliver high-quality programs without getting the necessary increases.”
He said when it comes to grants, the current government provided increases in each of the three years it has been in power, which was much appreciated. In two out of the three years, it back filled to replace tuition increases.
Bill 19 also increases access to post-secondary education by allowing Red Deer College to transition to university status without future legislative amendments.
“Nothing in the bill impacts our ability to do that work. I think that’s an important note,” Ward said.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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