Why should I care?
Post-secondary education is the ticket to the future both for individuals and for Alberta. The benefits of post-secondary education are immense. Only through a well-funded and fully accessible post-secondary education system can we create vibrant and socially cohesive communities. A highly educated society is necessary to build a resilient economy in which prosperity is less dependant on non-renewable resources. Participation in such an economy will require an increasing proportion of individuals who have the advantage of a post-secondary education.
We have an opportunity to establish an internationally acclaimed post-secondary education system but the government has not yet seized it. The government should be inviting the input of citizens – but it is not. Government should be designing a process that will lead to informed ideas from stakeholders – and it is not. It should be boldly challenging Albertans to set the post-secondary education system on a path to be the best system in the world, a system that boasts the highest quality while ensuring access to the lowest income Albertan. Alas, no such challenge from the government has been voiced. Albertans deserve to have access to the best post-secondary education system in the world and we have the resources to do it. One question remains: does the government have the will and courage to do it?
Post-secondary education is a public good. We all pay taxes in the hope that the government will make wise investments to benefit our families and our communities. Our province is on the edge of a staggering opportunity yet there is little from the government to capture our imaginations regarding post-secondary education.
Post-secondary education will need to have a starring role in Alberta’s second century. But, Alberta’s system is suffering from some serious deficiencies.
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 Introduction and Value of Post-Secondary Education
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 Funding and Commercialization
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 Affordability
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 Access and Research
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 Quality
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End Notes
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