Governments need to do things differently in light of rising tuition costs: think tank

We all know that college and university students, throughout Canada, have it pretty tough these days.

Rising tuition costs, high youth unemployment rates and a 'stop-start' economy have caused wide-spread angst among many of our nation's young people.

With regard to tuition rates, Canada's provincial governments have responded with directed assistance programs for in-province students and expanded financial assistance in the form of loans, interest relief, loan forgiveness and debt caps.

[ Related: Were you financially prepared for university? ]

But, according to a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, those solutions don't address affordability and universality.

The left-wing think tank suggests that provinces find a way to reduce upfront tuition costs.

"Since 1990–91, average tuition and other compulsory fees in Canada have increased from $1,464 to $6,348 in 2012–13, are estimated to reach $6,610 this fall and will continue to climb to an estimated $7,437 in 2016–17. Adjusting for inflation, by 2016–17 tuition and compulsory fees will have tripled since 1990–91," notes the report.

"In-province student-focused financial policies encourage insularity, at a time when students could be exploring educational and geographic opportunities previously unavailable to them, simply by pricing opportunity out of reach for all but the wealthiest students. This directly threatens the notion of universality.

"We are moving towards a system that, in becoming less progressive as funding sources shift from the public to the individual."

[ Related: How do current students feel about the rising cost of higher education? ]

The authors of the report go on to laud countries such as Germany that ban tuition fees for most university students.

"Canada as a whole has the fifth highest tertiary tuition in the OECD behind Chile, the U.S., Korea and Japan. In fact, eight of the 26 countries with tuition data charge nothing at their equivalent universities or colleges," they claim.

"In Canada, tuition fee increases have been rationalized by making the claim that since students are the primary beneficiaries of pursuing a university degree, they should be prepared to, individually and privately, bear a significant portion of the risk and of the cost.

"This view of higher education as a private rather than a public good minimizes the significant benefits gained by society as a whole."

Should provinces do more to lower tuition costs? Should tuition be free?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tuition and Compulsory Fees for Full-Time Undergraduates (Inflation Adjusted: $2011):

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian Press)

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