Monday morning’s release of “Ontario: A Leader in Learning,” the final report of the Rae Review, launched the next stage in the major debate on the future of higher education in Ontario.
Bob Rae, former NDP premier of Ontario, was appointed last fall to advise the provincial government on improvements to the higher education system. He accepted written submissions, conducted research, and ran public consultations, including town hall meetings on each of U of T’s three campuses.
The report, which recommends $1.3 billion in new funding for Ontario colleges, universities, and trade schools, also calls for an end to the province’s current tuition freeze. As a prerequisite for ending the freeze, the report urges changes to student aid, including the introduction of grants for low-income students.
“I think we have to get behind grants,” said Jesse Greener, Ontario chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). “Any movement forward on grants, we’re behind.” Such grants, however, would only apply to students from families with very low incomes.
“If you come from a family that makes more than $35,000-which some people might consider poverty-” explains Arij Al Chawaf, VP External of the Graduate Students Union, “you basically have no relief at all.”
“These recommendations are going to do nothing positive for the majority of students, the 80% of students who come from middle-income backgrounds,” said Greener.
The report also suggests $180 million for graduate education, with a recommendation that the number of spots in Ontario graduate schools double.
“We’ve long argued that that is overdue,” said Michael Doucet, president of the Ontario Coalition of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).
One of the most controversial sections of the report is what Rae calls the “Graduate Benefit.” He envisions a system of income-contingent loan repayment (ICLR), whereby loan payments are geared to your income after graduation, and are deducted automatically from your paycheque.
“Income-contingent loan repayment schemes don’t work, result in a lifetime of debt, and lead to higher tuition fees,” said Sam Rahimi, VP External at SAC. “If you’re earning less, it takes longer to pay it off,” he explained. “Even with the slightest interest rate, like 2.5%, it adds up a lot. So if you’re making less money you end up paying way more than you would have otherwise.”
Another point of contention is whether Rae’s recommendations constitute deregulated tuition. His report describes “a regulatory framework enshrined in legislation to guide institutions in making decisions about tuition levels.”
“This is in no way a license to deregulate fees,” said Adam Spence, executive director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), but others disagree.
“I don’t know what else to call it,” said Rahimi. “He’s quite clearly said that institutions should be allowed to set their tuition fees, rather than the government.”
OUSA is mainly concerned that the actions outlined in the 132-page report are actually instituted by the provincial government.
“Our big question is whether Premier McGuinty and Minister Sorbara are going to follow through,” he said. Others have stressed the importance of taking the recommendations as a whole.
“We would advise [the government] not to cherry-pick from this,” said Doucet.
“We will be making every effort we can to have the premier and his cabinet adopt this report,” said U of T President Frank Iacobucci. “I believe it’s in everybody’s interest to pull together to ensure that the difficult choices that government has to make […] allows recognition for the incredibly important role that postsecondary education plays in our province and in our country.”
But Greener isn’t so sure.
“As Ontarians look at this more closely, and as the dollar signs fall out of their eyes regarding this $1.3 billion, they’re going to be quite disappointed with what’s at the core of these recommendations, which is higher fees, deregulated fees, [and] a lifetime of debt for a number of students.”
