Ontario’s colleges need reinvestment in order to preserve the quality of education and support the province’s economic and social success. That’s the view laid out in Balancing the Books, the submission of OPSEU’s college academic workers to the Ministry’s review of the college funding model.
Balancing the Books represents a frontline view of the challenges facing colleges as a result of decreasing per-student funding, increasing privatization and a growing dependence on contract faculty. In addition, it highlights the benefits of placing academic decision-making in the hands of faculty, through a co-governance model rooted in the successful experience of Canadian universities as well as community colleges throughout British Columbia.
The six core principles in the submission form a recipe for a revitalized and reinvigorated college system that can continue, 50 years after its founding, to serve a vital role in supporting and strengthening Ontario’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.