British Columbia's students can expect higher fees and a continued decline in quality, college educators and university teachers are warning.
The comments come on the heels of the latest provincial budget which froze provincial grants to universities and colleges.
"While a freeze is better than a decrease, increased student enrolment pressures will not be met within this coming year's budget," said Cindy Oliver, president of the College Institute Educators' Association of B.C.
Oliver said she was also disappointed with the continuing underfunding of provincial training and apprenticeship programs.
"We were hoping the government would step back from its previous three-year plan and recognize that economic renewal will require a commitment to more funds and more spaces for trades and technical training, as well as academic and career programs," she said.
Rick Coe of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of B.C. said that with a continuing freeze in funding, institutions will be left with "only one option" to maintain program quality while meeting government demands for increasing the number of student places - increase tuition fees radically.
"Tuition fees will have more than doubled in the first three years of their mandate if government carries through with its plans," Coe said.
"At a time when the knowledge economy needs more university and college graduates, government cuts and tuition hikes are sending the wrong message to B.C.'s young people."
Student groups criticized the government for undermining both the accessibility and quality of post-secondary education in the province.
"Premier Gordon Campbell promised B.C. students he would improve the quality of post-secondary education, but in two years we have seen class sizes increase, waiting lists grow and services and programs cut at colleges and universities across the province," said Summer McFadyen, the national executive representative for the Canadian Federation of Students in B.C.
"This budget means not only will students be paying higher tuition fees, but also the quality of education will sharply decline."
B.C.'s colleges and institutes are expected to bear the brunt of the cuts over the next two years. Most affected will be institutions outside of the Lower Mainland and Victoria, in what the B.C. government now calls the "economic heartland."
"It takes some nerve for Gordon Campbell to talk about a heartland strategy while he continues to cut funding to rural colleges," said Jaime Matten, B.C. chairperson for CFS.
The budget also announced the creation of six regional innovation chairs to be established at colleges, university-colleges and institutes. Establishment of the chairs hinges on whether institutions can raise enough private-sector funding to match the government contribution, and Oliver cautioned the cost-sharing approach may not work because of difficulties the college sector faces in raising private funds.
The government is also allocating $10.5 million to speed up implementation of the Leading Edge Endowment Fund, a program to establish 20 chairs to "promote excellence and enhancement in the fields of medical, social, environmental and technological research in British Columbia, and to enhance British Columbia's economic development."
University and college faculty representatives were pleased to learn of the investment in research, but wanted the government to commit to ongoing support.
"We were pleased to see that the provincial government has put some new money into research but this is one-time funding," Coe said. "Research programs require ongoing funding.
"This budget will not support the research infrastructure needed to take advantage of the knowledge economy and will do little to make us competitive with researchers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec."