Reference no: EM133435258

Case Study: a general view of the Ryerson University campus in Toronto. The Ontario Government has announced changes to student tuition programs. CHRIS YOUNG / THE CANADIAN PRESS

This is a sad moment for education in Ontario. The Doug Ford government's announcement that it will significantly cut grants available through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) while reducing tuition fees by 10 per cent is a regressive assault on the accessibility and quality of Ontario's universities and colleges.

By trumpeting a tuition reduction while more quietly making dramatic cuts to OSAP, the government is trying to project that it is making higher education more affordable. But the numbers don't lie.

Early reports suggest that the cumulative cuts to OSAP are about twice the total savings to students due to lower tuition. Because OSAP already provided non-repayable grants that exceed tuition for most low and middle-income students, the majority of Ontario families will now be worse off and face increased student debt loads, while the richest will see savings.

The government is reportedly cutting access to OSAP grants by about half, particularly for students from middle-income families and for mature students. Specific changes include: eliminating the free tuition guarantee and replacing it with more loans; increasing the amounts that middle-income families are expected to contribute to their children's education; extending the amount of time parents must contribute from four to six years after high school; and eliminating the interest-free grace period on student loans after graduation.

The majority of Ontario families will now be worse off and face increased student debt loads, while the richest will see savings.

According to the government, these cuts are justified by a recent Ontario Auditor General's report that found OSAP is "unsustainable." In fact, the Auditor never says this. Her report does, however, mislead the public into questioning the effectiveness of the program by ignoring the important gains that have come from introducing free tuition for low- and middle-income families through OSAP.

These changes will also be felt acutely at college and universities, where a tuition reduction means a loss of hundreds of millions of operating dollars. The effect will undoubtedly be larger class sizes, fewer course and program offerings, and fewer student services such as mental health supports. Additionally, because the tuition reduction does not apply to international students or to some high-cost professional programs, the change will disproportionately impact smaller colleges and universities that have focused on serving students in their local communities.

Even more worrisome, the government announced changes to non-tuition ancillary fees that will make it harder for students to fight back against these regressive cuts. By allowing students to opt-out of paying these student fees, there will be less funding for student services and student associations. This could jeopardize the viability of universal transit passes, campus journalism, and a wide variety of support services for marginalized communities, including Indigenous students, LGBTQ students and those who rely on student food banks.

Together, these changes are deeply damaging to students and families looking to access a high-quality postsecondary education. Governments wanting to grow a rapidly changing economy should be looking for ways to make it easier for students of all ages to access higher education and re-training. Instead, this government is gutting student aid, particularly for middle-income and mature students, while hoping that a reduction in the sticker price of tuition distracts enough people that they get away with it.

Sam Andrey (@sambandrey) is the former manager of OSAP policy in the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Now that you have previewed vocabulary, read Editorial 1 and then answer the following questions.

2. Review the following list of phrases used by the writer and then describe the overall tone of the editorial. Refer to a least two of these phrases to support your opinion.

"trumpeting a tuition reduction"

"the sticker price of tuition"

"they get away with it"

"even more worrisome"

"dramatic cuts"

"This is a sad moment for education in Ontario"

"a regressive assault"

Questions:

3. What is Sam Andrey's opinion on the Ontario government's changes to OSAP?

4. Identify two reasons Andrey gives to support this opinion.

5. Given that the writer of the editorial, Sam Andrey, is a former manager of OSAP for the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, how might his background influence his perspective on this issue?