UW Gazette, July 24, 1996 The Ontario ministry of education and training issued its long-awaited "discussion paper" on post-secondary education July 16, and announced the five members of a panel that will study the province's college and university system. The discussion paper lists "five broad objectives that should guide policy development" for universities and colleges: excellence, accessibility, "a range of programs and institutions", accountability, and "responsiveness to evolving needs". News reports of the discussion paper last week emphasized hints that the government might like to see privately- financed universities in Ontario, institutions that could rival private American universities such as Harvard. In fact there isn't much in the written text about the creation of private universities, although it does emphasize the need for new, private-sector funding sources for institutions that already exist. The key paragraph goes like this: "To accommodate the full range of these needs, many different types of facilities are needed. These could include publicly supported institutions and privately supported institutions, and, in some cases, 'mixed' facilities in which the private sector supports some programs offered within a publicly funded institution." There were immediate criticisms that the government is working towards a "two-tier" system of higher education: good universities for those who can afford to pay big dollars, mediocre ones for other students. "We have a two-tiered system now," premier Mike Harris retorted, as quoted in the Toronto Star. "Students go anywhere else in the world but Canada." A government news release saids the minister of education and training, John Snobelen, had appointed the five-member panel "to provide advice on future directions for Ontario's postsecondary education system". Said the minister, as quoted in the news release: "The government is committed to achieving a postsecondary education system based on excellence, accessibility, and ac countability. It is also important that the quality of our current postsecondary system be strengthened and tied to reforms at the secondary level." The panel - chaired by Dr. David Smith, former principal of Queen's University - is to "consult with stakeholders and the general public" and provide the government with advice on three main issues: ù "the most appropriate sharing of costs among students, the private sector and government"; ù "ways to promote and support cooperation between colleges and universities, and between them and the secondary school system"; ù "ways to meet expected levels of demand for postsecondary education, with reference to existing public institutions and existing or proposed private institutions". Besides Smith, these are the panel members: ù Fred W. Gorbet, senior vice president, operational services (U.S.), Manulife Financial, Toronto; ù Catherine Henderson, president of Centennial College, in Scarborough; ù Dr. Bette M. Stephenson, a physician who was education minister in the Progressive Conservative government of Bill Davis a decade ago; ù Dr. David M. Cameron, chair of the department of political science at Dalhousie University, Halifax. "Colleges and universities face major challenges due to changing demographics, new labour force needs, limits on government funding, and the development of new tech nologies," said Snobelen in last week's statement. "This discussion paper will be the basis for a province- wide discussion to find new ways in which government, postsecondary institutions and private partners can meet these challenges head-on." The minister asked the panel to report to him by December 15. The panel "is expected to consult this fall", the news release said. "The system of postsecondary education in Ontario must change," the discussion paper says, "in order to meet evolving educational needs and adjust to new fiscal realities." The issues it addresses have mostly to do with teaching. "Because of time constraints and other initiatives under way or planned," the introduction says, "research, governance, and training will not be the primary focus of the discussion." A few excerpts from the document, which is available in full on the World Wide Web: "Statistics indicate that the postsecondary education system in Ontario compares favourably with systems in other jurisdictions in terms of cost-effectiveness and ac cessibility.É "Achieving excellence in postsecondary institution is essential to achieve the maximum possible benefit fromthe investment of time and money, both by the public and stu dents.É It is also important, in a global economy and society, to preserve and enhance the reputation for high educational standards that Ontario holds.É "A number of institutions might have - or might develop - different, specialized missions and might offer only certain types of programs, or only some types or levels of degrees or qualifications.É "Postsecondary institutions should be able to show students, government, and taxpayers that the available financial resources, including tuition fees, are being used wisely and efficiently.É "Postsecondary institutions should continue their efforts to accommodate individual needs by refining mechanisms to allow transfers of credits between institutions and actively epxloring alternative means of program delivery.É "The present rates of participation in postsecondary education are higher in Ontario than in many other jurisdictions. In 1994-95, there were 132,000 full-time students and 190,000 part-time students enrolled in college programs. An additional 407,000 students were enrolled in part-time vocationally oriented college courses. In the province's universities, there were 229,800 full-time students and 94,300 part-time students.É If current participation rates continue, the university population will increase by about 10.6 per cent by the year 2010.É "While the need to provide postsecondary education to Ontarians in a cost-effective manner must be our primary concern, we must also be mindful of the economic and social consequences of failing to provide Ontario residents with the educational opportunities they need.É "The government is committed to the introduction of an income-contingent student assistance program.É If the postsecondary education system is to accommodate the higher numbers of students expected in the next ten to fifteen years, either student-aid programs will have to be expanded with the aid of non-government sources or the cost per student will need to be reduced significantly.É "The question of whether society or the individual benefits most is considered by some to have a bearing on fee policy. If individuals are seen to reap most of the benefits, it is argued, they should pay a greater share of the cost than they do at present. That share might be calculated in a variety of ways. Fees could be based on a student's estimated potential earnings or on the level students are willing to pay."