Social cost of cuts
to education are
great, says AECBC

ith the federal government threatening to cut transfer
4 # payments to provinces by some $300 million in the next
budget, the Advanced Education Council of British
Columbia (AECBC) is making sure that politicians and the public
understand the value of a college education.

A cut to the federal-provincial transfer places fiscal pressure on the
B.C. government to cut funding for post-secondary education. And
because 75% of the funding Douglas College receives comes from
government, even a small drop hits us hard.

The notion of education as an investment is held up by the statistics.
The B.C Labour Force Development Board research indicates that
70% of the new and replacement jobs to the year 2001 in this province
will require at least some post-secondary education. However, in 1991
in B.C. less than 50% of the working age population had some post-
secondary education.

Meanwhile, government funding is threatened even as B.C. post-
secondary institutions demonstrate the efficiency with which they spend
government money; “ cost of delivering education has declined by
dramatically.

Gerry Della Mattia, chair of the Advanced Education Council of
B.C., says that the message they’ve been putting out is straightforward
because the issue is clear. “The message is that government has to see
education as an investment rather than an expense. Subsidizing a
student in post-secondary education costs about half of what it costs to
keep a person on social assistance, and statistics from the federal
— itself indicate that ee with post-secondary education

In the traditional college age group, the B.C. Colleges & Institutes
Student Outcomes survey shows that the unemployment rate is 18% for
those who didn’t attend college, and only half that for those who did, at
9%.

The fight to get governments to maintain funding support for
advanced education has just begun, says Della Mattia, and the AECBC
is broadening the scope of its work in order to raise awareness in other
sectors of society.

“We've got much more work to do, no doubt about that. Our efforts
have been aimed at politicians, but that’s got to expand to the general
public. The public has to understand how much they get back for the
~ investment in education, such as higher employment numbers and
fewer people on social assistance. I’m reasonably hopeful that we can
succeed in achieving the best outcome, which would be no cuts to post-
secondary spending. We feel that what we’re asking for is realistic.” |

 

 

 

Briefs

 

ze BCGEU training money
available

If you are interested in applying for
financial support from the BCGEU
Education and Training Fund, get in
touch with shop steward Wendy Collins
in Student Services (Room 2700, local
5154). She has information and
applications for the Fund. Refer to the
Collective Agreement for courses and
training that are eligible for money from
the fund. Funds are still available for the
year ending in April 1996; new
applications are now being accepted for
May.

za Yoga (for everyone)

Experience gentle relaxation, stress
relief, and exercise with instructor Rose-
Marie Preston. Rose-Marie has a
certificate in kinesiology and has taught
yoga for over 20 years. Classes take
place Thursdays from | pm to 2pm in the
aerobics room. The cost is $5 for
individual classes, or $35 for ten.
Register by calling 527-5005, or see
Richard in Room 1317B. Register now;
class size is limited.

z@ Continuing Education
news

On February 8th at 7pm, the
Continuing Education Department will
hold a free information evening on its
new Herbal Certificate program. Register
in advance by calling 527-5472 and quote
Course I.D. # V200A 19961.

Faculty member Geraldine Murphy is
responsible for this program area. I

Quote of the Month:

"Dogs come when they’re
called; cats take a
message and get back to
you."

- Missy Dizick and Mary Bly