February 1 , 2002

Dithering in Advanced Education
Destruction through Indecision

The "service plan" for the Ministry of Advanced Education says "Decisions are pending on the Open Learning Agency (OLA), Part Time Vocational Training, TechBC, the Private Post Secondary Education Commission (pdf), tuition fee policy and policy changes to Student Financial Assistance."

The period from November to February is the most crucial time for student recruitment. Government has made that task almost impossible for TechBC and it hasn't helped other institutions.

A government that claims it wants to stimulate economic growth should appreciate the importance of planning and certainty. Recent actions of the Campbell government are more likely to create chaos and drive out investment.

With Bill 28 the Campbell government broke contracts with college teachers and made it possible for management to require staff to teach distance education. It makes more sense to keep and strengthen the program delivery and course development arms of OLA (Open University, Open College) with regard to distance education, rather than to force all of the other colleges and universities in B.C. to compete with each other and with OLA for a finite student body. Why does the Campbell government want to micromanage the post-secondary sector? It's a recipe for disaster.

Perhaps Shirley Bond, Minister of Advanced Education, could explain how any university can recruit students when it doesn't even know if it is gong to exist next year. What student in her or his right mind would apply to such an institution?

How can an institution raise private funds to endow scholarships or sponsor research when it doesn't know if it will even be in existence next month, let alone next year?

How can an institution recruit and retain "the best and brightest" faculty and staff when it cannot offer a job on more than a day to day basis?

How can an institution motivate students to perform their best if those students are wondering whether they have wasted the past year or more of their lives?

What can government say to local communities when it destroys investments in institutions that would spur wider economic development?

How does one reconcile government's destructive indecision with references throughout the infamous New Era Document with respect to more high tech graduates and increased use of technology?

As the government breaks promises it is useful to go back to its New Era Document. You may no longer see it as the backdrop for staged cabinet meetings but it is still available on the BC Liberal Website. Page 17 of that document deals with Advanced Education and says:

Oops, it looks like they forgot to mention that they would eliminate the Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission (ITAC) but that is exactly what was announced on Black Thursday.

They also didn't say anything about eliminating OLA or TechBC whether by indecision or otherwise. An announcement that those institutions will continue is long overdue.