Tie funding to quality of schools, report says

Ontario should fund universities less on student numbers and more on the quality of students’ experience, says a government-commissioned report to be published Thursday.

If it’s adopted, Ontario would be among the first to try to actually measure the quality of a university education — from undergrad satisfaction and retention to proof that students learn the soft skills employers seek, such as communication, teamwork and critical thinking — and financially reward schools that do a good job, said former deputy education minister Suzanne Herbert.

She led a five-month consultation into modernizing the funding formula, resulting in a report, “Focus on Outcomes, Centre on Students.”

“The current system has done a terrific job increasing access to university education,” she said.

About 32 per cent of Ontario adults now hold a degree, up from 24 per cent in 2002. But the prime student cohort, 18- to 24-year-olds, is expected to flatline over the next decade.

“It’s time now to take a deep breath and focus on the quality of the student experience” as part of a more transparent, accountable way of divvying up the $3.5 billion Ontario spends annually on 20 universities. Herbert’s report suggests introducing an “outcomes-based” model in 2017. It also suggests pushing universities to duplicate each other less, by tying funding to how well they stick to the specialties stated in their strategic mandate agreements with the province.

“The whole exercise is based on students and how we can increase the quality of their learning experience, so we see these recommendations as a good road map for . . . a new funding formula,” said Reza Moridi, minister of training, colleges and universities.