Changes to tuition, freedom of expression coming to Alberta post-secondaries

The Alberta government is making big changes to how it funds post-secondary education. They are targeting the cost of tuition and the ability to get student loans. We remain committed to keeping post-secondary education affordable, predictable and stable for students and families. The legislation would allow MacDougall to set new maximum tuition limits for programs or groups of programs province-wide. If the bill passes, colleges, universities and polytechnics would have to set tuition rates within those limits. A 2% tuition cap will stay in place for another year during the transition. McDougall is also reversing a decision he made earlier this year, saying student loan officers will no longer look at parents' incomes when a student applies for a provincial loan. That means they will revisit 21,000 student loan applications to see if they qualify for more money. When an institution speaks officially, we expect it to stay neutral on political, social, and ideological issues. That leaves the debate where it belongs, with students, faculty, and staff. The legislation also sets mandatory neutrality principles and minimum requirements for institutions to meet when they adopt student codes of conduct. The province already has similar rules for school staff and school boards. Now, where do these ideas come from? Two years ago the government appointed an expert panel to look at post-secondary education funding and competitiveness. And while some of their recommendations are acted on in the bill, that panel also said the government should completely change how it funds post-secondary institutions. Student leaders say they want more certainty about loans and tuition rates. Maximums alone will create unnecessary volatility for students and ultimately threaten access in certain programs. A tuition ceiling still needs safeguards on how quickly tuition can rise. So students need to be able to plan for the cost of completing their education. This bill does very little to address the central problem in our post-secondary, which is that it's underfunded over the last seven years by this UCP government. Just how much the tuition maximums will be The minister will decide later. McDougall also says that there will be more information in next spring's provincial budget about funding changes to post-secondary institutions. Janet French, CBC News, Edmonton.