Advanced education minister says tough calls ahead

By Jeremy Appel on September 13, 2019.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com
@MHNJeremyAppel

The advanced education minister stopped by Medicine Hat College on Thursday as part of a brief tour of southern Alberta. 

Demetrios Nicolaides says there are challenges and “difficult decisions” ahead for post-secondary schools, largely due to budgetary constraints and low enrolment relative to other provinces. 

“We need to create a situation in which we have a sustainable model … and also one that is expanding access, that is increasing enrolment and is delivering the high-quality results that students and all Albertans expect from the system,” Nicolaides said. 

“It’s a very unique opportunity for us to be really creative and transformative when we think about how to approach post-secondary education in the province.” 

In a Wednesday appearance at a Medicine Hat and District Chamber of Commerce event, Finance Minister Travis Toews described the province’s $5.6-billion advanced education budget as “alarming” and “out of control.” 

Nicolaides agrees with this assessment and says he will work with other levels of government, including the finance ministry, to come up with solutions. 

“It’s very important for us to develop that deeper and we take a closer look at what’s happening, so we can come up with some right conclusions,” he said. 

The recently-released MacKinnon Report on the province’s finances, the purpose of which Nicolaides says is to forge a path to a balanced budget by 2023, recommended the government lift the tuition cap imposed by the previous NDP government that tied tuition increases to the Consumer Price Index. 

Instead of a cap, which Nicolaides says didn’t increase enrolment, he suggests a series of scholarships to encourage increased enrolment in the registered apprenticeship program. 

“The conclusion that the MacKinnon Panel Report makes is that it’s quite clear and concerning that we have one of the most expensive post-secondary systems in the entire country and the outcomes don’t appear to be matching that investment,” said Nicolaides. 

According to Statistics Canada, Alberta spent $1,019 per capita on advanced education, compared to $862 across the country, in 2016, the most recent year for which data is available. 

“We’re really working to get a better understanding of the dynamics involved, why that’s the case and see how we can address it moving forward,” Nicolaides said. 

He said he hopes to “find the opportunity” to speak with students and “institutional leadership” in between meetings with administration. 

“You can read about an institution, and read about the programs and the dynamics of the student population on paper, but you don’t really get a good feel unless you actually have the opportunity to come down to campus,” said Nicolaides.

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