Posts tagged with enrolment.
How about factories to ease college crunch?
An interesting thing happened this week in Ontario - an opposition critic brought a potential problem to the government's attention and the Premier didn't dismiss the critic's suggestion to alleviate it.
Ontario's post-secondary education critic Jim Wilson warned this week that an unprecedented increase in adults applying to Ontario's community colleges will cause an enrolment crisis if the government does not act immediately to meet the demand. He suggested a novel approach: how about using closed factories and vacant storefronts?
The application deadline for September programs at the province's colleges passed on Monday and, while numbers are not yet available, it is expected that applications will increase by almost 15 per cent, with a significant portion of this increase caused by a large jump in non-high-school students applying to upgrade or earn credentials to re-enter the work force.
Premier Dalton McGuinty didn't dismiss the idea of using empty factories and storefronts, instead stating he would talk to his post-secondary education ministry about the idea. "It's an interesting idea and I think it would be irresponsible of me to reject it out of hand," Mr. McGuinty told The Canadian Press.
The Premier said he would address the space crunch in the March provincial budget.
Mr. Wilson's rhetoric was overly political and accusatory towards the government, but he deserves credit for bringing attention to the space crunch and fulfilling the role of an opposition critic, which is to identify problems and suggest solutions. Colleges are the neglected little sibling of post-secondary education and there is rarely much political capital in devoting attention to them.
The Premier was wise to consider the suggestions and not to engage in a partisan counterattack by dragging out the ghost of Mike Harris - the typical response of his government to criticism from the Progressive Conservative opposition.
In the end, students are the winners this week, if the March budget ensures funding is provided to ensure spaces for qualified students at Ontario's colleges.
Tagged with
ontario,
college,
space,
enrolment,
factory,
crisis
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JOEY COLEMAN
