Minister mum on timeline for release of tuition review

A comprehensive report into a future funding model and student tuition structure for the province’s publicly funded universities and colleges promised for release in the fall is still nowhere to be seen.

The review, launched by the Department of Advanced Education in October 2016 with an online survey and meetings with education stakeholders, has been touted as a top-to-bottom review of everything from tuition, mandatory non-instructional fees and student aid to international student tuition.

Around 4,200 survey responses were received online, along with an additional 29 written submissions.

A 20-person advisory group was then tasked to look at how tuition should increase, improving transparency and predictability of all mandatory non-instructional fees, market modifiers, international students and instructional fees for apprentices.

They were expected to wrap their deliberations in May 2017.

Around the same time, an external consultant was hired to examine and analyze Alberta’s current post-secondary funding model.

Asked Tuesday when the report would be released, Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt was unable to give a timeline.

As for why the lengthy delay, Schmidt said: “We have a number of options to consider and we want to make sure we get our policy right so that we can continue to provide access to higher education in this province so that Albertans can get the training they need to get good jobs.”