Government & Policy
Advanced Education Minister’s November 2005 Forum Wraps Up
- Action Promised in Three Key Areas
- Three Subcommittees to Develop Plans
- Tuition Fee Policy Delayed Until Spring
The Minister’s Forum supporting the ‘Learning Alberta’ initiative was held in Edmonton on Nov-ember 1 - 2. The 250 invited delegates, including four from ACIFA, represented a wide range of stakeholders, interest groups and individuals, and brought diverse viewpoints to the plenary sessions and small group discussions focused on the priorities for change, the draft policy framework and draft policy directions proposed by the Learning Alberta Steering Committee. No single theme emerged, but it was clear to all participants that, at a minimum, building the ‘learning society’ in Alberta will entail major changes in the advanced education system.
The Minister of Advanced Education, Dave Hancock, pledged immediate action in three key areas:
*Learning foundations – taking more education opportunities to communities, addressing the needs of diverse groups of Albertans, and setting clear targets for improving literacy rates.
*Support for Aboriginal learning – getting on with action and establishing a new Aboriginal educational division within the Advanced Education department to lead Aboriginal education strategies.
*Transforming the advanced learning system – defining roles and responsibilities for institutions, allowing them to become world-class in specific areas; putting top priority on research and innovation; expanding the number of graduate students in all areas including social sciences and humanities; and focusing on new ways for tradespeople to learn in their communities.
Three new sub-committees will be formed from the Steering Committee to address these three policy areas, and will report back to the Minister by the end of March 2006.
Specific initiatives announced by the Minister include the implementation of a common student application system for public PSE institutions; the adjustment of funding formulas to promote collaboration among institutions; and the development of a new tuition fee policy by spring 2006.
There was no immediate commitment of money from the government to support the improvements to access and quality which were the focus of the Forum. Mr. Hancock indicated that the government’s funding review will be completed in the next few months, “with the possibility of funding adjustments to reinforce the strength and vitality of all components of the publicly-funded advanced learning system.”
In the immediate aftermath of the Forum, the Minister warned PSE students to prepare for tuition increases in 2006, but his remarks were later clarified by Premier Klein, who insisted that the tuition freeze will be extended. Whether this means that the freeze will be fully funded by the government, rather than by already hard-pressed institutions themselves, was not made clear.
The official news release is available at http://www.advancededucation.gov.ab.ca/news/2005/November/nr-LearningForumCloses.asp.