With a provincial election just around the corner, Alberta’s Conservative government tabled a budget in February with spending increases for all major social programs, ranging from a jump of 7.9 per cent for health spending to a 2.7 per cent rise for advanced education.
Operating grants to post-secondary institutions will increase by 2 per cent in each of the next three years, which the government says will provide some stability.
The 2012–2013 provincial budget, which brings an end to the zero per cent grant increases that Alberta post-secondary institutions have experienced for the past two years, drew mixed reaction from academic staff.
Walter Dixon, president of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations, said while stable, predictable funding on a three-year cycle should enable the province’s post-secondary institutions to take a less ad hoc approach to their budgeting and planning, the funding deal is insufficient over the long term.
“The fact is that our post-secondary institutions will continue to face budget gaps, and proposed belt-tightening measures such as enrolment caps, staffing cuts, and program closures are bound to have a negative impact on the accessibility and quality of the system as a whole,” he said.
“Although post-secondary education fares somewhat better in this year’s budget than the government’s continuing fiscal problems might have led us to expect, the level of promised funding following an extended freeze still leaves our institutions hard-pressed to keep up with the combined effects of inflation, rising costs and enrolment growth.”
Alberta needs a meaningful investment in post-secondary education, not funding to fill gaps in the last years’ cuts, said Alberta Colleges & Institutes Faculties Association president David Hyttenrauch.
“While we appreciate the budget announcement of a 2 per cent increase for post-secondary institutions is a significant improvement over the recent years of budget freezes, it falls short of a much-needed reinvestment in Alberta post-secondary education, as there is still an existing shortage of seats, shrinkage as institutions address their budget shortfalls, and a fast-growing population,” he said.
The budget also earmarked almost $500 million for student aid programs, including eliminating loan remission and implementing new grants to encourage completion and retention.