How To Make A National Summit On Higher Education

Transcription

1 Information Document Preparing the Summit mesrst.gouv.qc.ca

2 Preparing the Summit Message from the Prime Minister 1 Message from the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology 2 Message from the MNA for Laval-des-Rapides and Parliamentary Assistant to the Prime Minister for Youth 3 Making Québec a knowledge society for all 5 Reflection on four themes 6 A multi-step approach 8 Higher education and research in Québec: main indicators 11 Funded and sponsored research in the universities 15 Tuition fees and student financial assistance 15 Access to university 17 Obtaining a university degree 17 Success and duration of studies 18 Legal deposit Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, 2012 Library and Archives Canada, 2012 ISBN : à venir (version PDF)

3 Message from the Prime Minister In my vision of Québec, all generations share a collective project: the continuous enhancement of our knowledge. This is the most precious legacy we can leave those who come after us. More than ever, the enthusiasm of youth and the wisdom of experience are vital for reflection on one of the key issues facing Québec: the role that higher education should play in our society. Let us take up the dialogue once again. We must rebuild the bridges, bringing together students, researchers, professors, parents, young people and others to make new strides towards higher education for all. Pauline Marois Ministère de l Enseignement supérieure, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 1

4 Message from the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology Ensuring that young people have access to quality education is one of the duties of a just society. In order to choose the major projects that will make Québec one of the best knowledge societies, we are preparing a summit. It will not be like other summits; it will be a real exercise in discussion, in a spirit of respect and thoroughness, on a single theme: making higher education a collective priority. The Summit is not an end in itself. Rather, it represents a new departure, a renewed commitment to our higher education system, inspired by values such as equality of opportunity, excellence, the common good and responsible governance. Light emerges from the clash of ideas said Boileau. I look forward to a time of luminous reflection. Pierre Duchesne 2 Preparing the Summit

5 Message from the MNA for Laval-des-Rapides and Parliamentary Assistant to the Prime Minister for Youth The future of higher education has been much debated in recent years. It is a subject that stirs up strong feelings, because the future of our nation depends more and more on our capacity to find new ways to democratize knowledge. In a world that is constantly changing, Québec must be able to count on a population that is educated and equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It must ensure that education is accessible, while also maintaining the quality and financing of our educational institutions. The question of access to higher education has recently given rise to a difficult period that divided our society. The time has come to join forces to establish the basis for a new dialogue on the role of our educational institutions in the community. Together, let us reflect on the higher education of tomorrow. We must leave future generations the heritage they deserve: access to knowledge. Léo Bureau-Blouin Ministère de l Enseignement supérieure, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 3

6 4 Préparons le Sommet

7 Making Québec a knowledge society for all To succeed on a world scale, nations must be able to count on a highly educated population, and be capable of innovation in order to produce, transmit and spread knowledge. Societies must also find new ways of learning, working together and creating communities of practitioners and networks of national and international collaborative research based on promising new projects. These new approaches represent powerful engines of social and economic development. Meeting this challenge at this point in our history and in the current global context constitutes a strategic choice for Québec. At a time when access to knowledge is no longer limited to institutions of higher education and when a number of other institutions and knowledge platforms provide access to new learning and competencies, the role and mission of our teaching institutions and the importance of teaching, research and the transmission of knowledge may have to change. This is a subject that calls for reflection. The Summit s principal aim is to establish the foundations of a genuine knowledge society for all. The deliberations must reflect our collective will to promote equal opportunity, excellence and innovation in higher education in Québec and to ensure its responsible governance and sustainable funding. If it is to result in the reconciliation of the various stakeholders among the academic community, young people and the general public, the collective dialogue must take place under conditions that enable all participants to be heard and respected. It must also feature a climate of openness to the different points of view that willl be expressed. Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 5

8 Reflection on four themes In preparation for the Summit, four themes will be developed in order to create a shared understanding of the trends and challenges facing higher education institutions, teachers and professors, staff members and students. Although the themes primarily concern the university level, the college level will also be taken into account when it is relevant. The quality of higher education In Québec, what is understood by the quality of higher education? How can we determine that a teaching practice or a piece of research is of high quality and helps us meet the challenges of becoming a knowledge society? This is the focus of the first theme. The discussions among the partners should enable us not only to make observations, but also to agree on the challenges facing our educational institutions. Access to and participation in higher education The knowledge society implies that all Quebeckers who can and want to pursue higher education should have access to it. For a society that relies increasingly on the development of knowledge, access to learning is vital. Considerable progress has been made on this front over the past fifty years, but it is time to take a new look at the organizational, financial, geographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors that may stand in the way of college or university enrollment, and to determine the real challenges for the future. This theme also encompasses the participation of Quebeckers in college and university education, their educational needs, and the current enrollment and graduation rates among the various segments of society. 6 Preparing the Summit

9 The governance and funding of the universities Post-secondary studies benefit individuals and society. Indeed, the return on investment is just as important for Québec society as a whole as it is for its members. Quebeckers contribute greatly to higher education, whether through income tax or tuition. This theme will seek to determine key elements in the sustainable funding and governance of educational institutions. The contribution of educational institutions and of research to Québec s overall development Institutions of higher learning have a strategic role to play in teaching, research and innovation and in services to the community. This theme seeks to define the contribution of our institutions of higher learning to the development of critical thinking, ethics, innovation and socioeconomic growth in Québec. It will showcase new models of collaboration and of the transmission of knowledge and competencies and their contribution to the development of our cities and regions. Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 7

10 A multi-step approach Over the next few months, all of Québec will be invited to help prepare the Summit in the framework of an open and inclusive approach based on the active participation of stakeholders in higher education, of the general population and, above all, of young people. This approach is designed to create all the conditions for a constructive exchange on the future of higher education in Québec, half a century after the Parent Report. 1 Thematic meetings involving the partners Beginning in late November, four working meetings, one on each of the themes of the Summit, will be organized in different university towns in Québec. These meetings will bring together the main partners involved in the future of higher education namely, representatives of youth, educational institutions, unions and socio-economic stakeholders to make observations or a preliminary diagnosis on the theme proposed and suggest actions for the future. These meetings are above all intended to give the participants an opportunity to exchange views and make an initial diagnosis regarding the theme addressed, for example by designating it a problem, a success, a need or a grey zone. The formulation of findings will help define the focuses of discussion at the Summit. The debates will be supported by presentations by experts and will focus on various points of view and contributions made by the partners. These people will be invited by the government through the process of a call for contributions. Finally, to provide an intergenerational perspective, two pairs of impartial observers will accompany the process. They will each participate in two meetings, during which they will be responsible for summing up the proceedings and preparing a report on them to the Minister. eu commun d échanges entre les sur le theme abordé, par exemple besoin ou d une zone grise. bjets de la discussion erts et s animeront points de vue nt sollicitées ntributions. he. 1 The Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Education in the Province of Québec, known as the rapport Parent (Parent Report), was published in In the wake of this five-volume report, the Ministère de l Éducation and the Conseil supérieur de l éducation were established; the CÉGEP system was set up; and access to universities was facilitated for all members of society, whatever their social status. 8 Preparing the Summit

11 A Web 2.0 Summit To promote transparency, the expression of all opinions and the sharing of knowledge, the use of new technologies, including the social media, will be encouraged. To encourage citizens to participate in the the Summit process, a Web site and a Facebook page were set up on October 12, This discussion forum allows Internet users to present their points of view and expectations and also to submit any discussion papers they want to share with the general public. The site will be updated throughout the process. It will webcast discussions during the thematic meetings and at the Summit proper, and will also post all the documentation, including the presentations by various experts and the contributions by partners during the thematic meetings. Placing young people in the forefront Young people from the four corners of Québec and from all milieux will be asked to imagine the Québec university of tomorrow in the context of an activity similar to the Summer School organized annually by the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM). The INM will hold a weekend Winter School Special Summit Event, bringing together about 500 young people eager to take part in the debate on the future of higher education. The four themes of the Summit will be addressed in lectures, roundtable discussions and workshops that will enable the participants to provide input regarding the university of tomorrow. Citizen feedback The mobilization Québec experienced in the spring of 2012 was marked by an intensity and scope rarely seen in modern history. It rallied citizens of all generations and demonstrated the desire of thousands of Quebeckers to participate in the debate. Because it is important to take into account the views of citizens, in addition to the formal discussion forums, four citizen meetings will be organized by the INM. They will focus primarily on the question, What should the university of 21st century Québec be like? The participants will be asked to imagine the university of tomorrow, the needs it will have to meet, its goals and objectives and its role. They can also describe the values and main principles that guide their choices regarding the university. Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 9

12 The Summit, a new departure Far from being the culmination of a process, the Summit on higher education will be the starting point for the definition of Québec as a true knowledge society. This major event will reflect the scope and variety of the discussions that preceded it. The Summit will enable a consensus to be reached on decisions and concrete actions that can be taken immediately, as well as on issues to be explored further in the context of future projects, for example. Discussions with the population Touring meetings and special events Formal meetings Web page Social media Citizen meetings Ministerial meetings Events organized by partners Four thematic meetings Experts on site Representatives of various groups Suggested solutions Summit Projects 10 Preparing the Summit

13 Ministère de l Éducation supérieure, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 11

14 Compared with Canada In 2009, Québec s per capita GDP ($38 950) was 18% lower than the average for the other Canadian provinces ($47 241). In , total per-student spending in Québec universities ($29 414) was 1% higher than that in universities in the rest of Canada ($29 128). The rate of participation was slightly higher in Québec (29.4%) than in the rest of Canada (29.3%).C anada (29,3%). Compared with the OECD countries Québec is one of the states with the highest levels of spending. Only the United States, South Korea, Finland and Chile allocate a larger proportion of their GDP to university education. Québec s higher level of spending may be explained primarily by fact that the the costs of university education are higher than the average in OECD countries. Per-student spending for Québec universities was well above the average for OECD countries. The schooling rate of young adults is higher in Québec than the average for OECD countries, and this factor contributed to the larger investment in university education. 12 Preparing the Summit

15 Total per-student spending by universities Total university spending includes the general operating fund, the specific objectives and endowment fund, the research fund and the capital fund. In , total per-student spending by Québec universities was $ In comparison, it was $ in the universities of the Atlantic provinces, $ in Ontario and $ in the Western provinces. Two factors have a major impact on total spending Québec universities have a larger proportion of students enrolled in costlier fields of study and at higher levels of education. The cost of living is lower in Québec than in the rest of Canada; the difference was 8.0% in Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 13

16 Main expense: remuneration Salary costs for all categories of university personnel, employee benefits included, account for more than half of the universities total spending. The teaching staff payroll constitutes the main element of salary costs. In , teacher cost per student was essentially the same in Québec ($7 759) as in the Atlantic provinces ($7 861), but higher than in Ontario ($7 361) and lower than in the Western provinces ($8 238). Taking into account the fact that the cost of living is lower in Québec than in the rest of Canada, the (real) teacher cost per student is slightly higher in Québec than the average for the rest of Canada. 14 Preparing the Summit

17 Funded and sponsored research in the universities In , Québec universities received billion dollars in grants, subsidies and research contracts. If this amount is divided by the number of professors, it comes to $ per professor. The main research areas are the health sciences, the pure sciences and the applied sciences. The federal government contributed roughly half of the funding for subsidized and sponsored research in Québec universities ($753M). The Québec government contributed 16% ($250.6M). Nongovernment grants, subsidies and research contracts represented 18% ($280.6M). Other sources accounted for 17% ($260.7M). The proportion of federal funding obtained by researchers in Québec universities is superior to Québec s demographic weight. Québec universities are underrepresented in the area of the commercialization of research compared with universities in the other provinces. They obtain less than 17% of new licences and options. Tuition fees and student financial assistance Tuition fees Tuition fees are set according to student s status. Québec residents Canadian students who are not Québec residents foreign students In , tuition fees were: $2 068 for Québec residents $5 669 for Canadian students who are not Québec residents higher for foreign students and varying by cycle and field of study Comparison The average tuition fees of Canadian fulltime undergraduate students by region of Canada were: $2 415 in Québec $4 886 in the Atlantic provinces $6 307 in Ontario $5 742 for Canada, excluding Québec Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 15

18 Financial assistance Financial assistance is available to students in full-time postsecondary education and in secondary-level vocational training programs. The loans and bursaries awarded under Québec s student financial assistance program are intended to supplement the contribution of the student, his or her parents, sponsor or spouse, as primary responsibility for the cost of education lies with them. Government assistance aims to cover the difference between the allowable expenses and the contribution of the student and, where applicable, his or her parents, sponsor or spouse. A total of students benefited from the Loans and Bursaries Program. Of these, received only a loan, received a loan and a bursary, and received only a bursary. A total of $481.3 million was granted in the form of loans and $395.4 million in bursaries. Of the university students who received financial assistance, 32.3% received only a loan, which averaged $3 660, while 66.4% received both a loan and a bursary, totalling an average of $ Reasons why the debt load of Québec students is much lower than that of students elsewhere in Canada The tuition fees paid by Québec students are the lowest in Canada. The Loans and Bursaries Program is more generous in Québec than in the rest of Canada (assistance in the form of bursaries). The existence of CEGEPs reduces the duration of many university programs. CEGEP students pay minimal fees. In , loans accounted for 52.7% of all financial assistance granted, and bursaries represented 47.3%. In , upon completion of their undergraduate studies, Québec students who had received loans had an average debt load of $ The corresponding figures for students completing master s and doctoral degrees were $ and $ These figures do not include debt incurred at the college level. 16 Preparing the Summit

19 Access to university The enrollment rate is the proportion of a generation that enrolls for the first time in a program leading to a university degree. Enrollment in programs leading to a bachelor s degree: 44.2% in Enrollment in programs leading to a master s degree: 12.9% in Enrollment in programs leading to a doctorate: 3.2% in Obtaining a university degree From 1976 to 2010, the probability of obtaining a bachelor s degree rose from 14.9% to 33.2%; a master s, from 2.7% to 10%, and a doctorate, from 0.4% to 1.5%. For women, the probability of obtaining a university degree has soared since 1976, from 13.1% to 41.3% for a bachelor s degree; from 1.9% to 10.8% for a master s degree; and from 0.2% to 1.4% for a doctorate. Comments: There was a strong increase in the rate of access from to During this period it rose from 30.1% to 44.2% at the undegraduate level; from 6.8% to 12.9% at the master s level, and from 1.1% to 3.2% at the doctoral level. There are more women than men at the undergraduate and master s level, but more men than women at the doctoral level. Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 17

20 Success and duration of studies Bachelor s degree From to , the proportion of students graduating from a bachelor s program rose from 55.9% to 67.3% (63.9% of men and 69.7% of women). It took students an average of 6.7 semesters of full-time study to earn a bachelor s degree. Master s degree From to , the proportion of students graduating from a master s program rose from 56.1% to 74.0% (72.3% of men and 75.6% of women). It took students an average of 4.6 semesters of full-time study to earn a master s degree. Doctorate From to , the proportion of students graduating from a doctoral program rose from 48.7% to 61.4% (60.5% of men and 62.5% of women). It took students an average of 14.9 semesters of full-time study to earn a doctorate. 67.3% 74.0% 61.4% PROPORTION OF STUDENTS EARNING A BACHELOR S DEGREE PROPORTION OF STUDENTS EARNING A MASTER S DEGREE PROPORTION OF STUDENTS EARNING A DOCTORATE 18 Preparing the Summit

21 University degrees by field of study Proportion of degrees issued by the universities in 2010: 1. Business administration (23.7%) 2. Humanities and Social Scieences (20.9%) 3. Applied sciences (14.5%) 4. Health sciences (10.9%) 5. Education (9.0%) 6. Pure sciences (6.2%) 7. Arts (4.1%) 8. Literature (3.8%) 9. Law (3.0%) 10. Multidisciplinary studies (3.7%) Québec universities issued 1.2% or 567 more degrees in 2010 than they did the previous year. University diplomas by level of university studies In 2010, Québec universities issued degrees. Among these diplomas, (74.2%) were at the bachelor s level, (23.4%) were at the master s level and (2.4%) were at the doctoral level. The majority of diplomas issued ( or 66.7%) were actual bachelor s, master s or doctoral degrees. Québec universities also issue other types of diplomas (for short programs, generally less than 30 credits). From 2000 to 2010, the number of other diplomas rose from to , an extremely rapid increase of 64.2%. In 2010, these diplomas accounted for one third (33.3%) of those issued by Québec universities. In 2010, 58.4% of those earning university diplomas were women. In most fields of study, the majority of diplomas were issued to women. Compared with 2000, the largest increase 3.7 percentage points in the proportion of diplomas earned was in business administration. There was an increase of 2.6 percentage points in health sciences and of 0.7 percentage points in multidisciplinary studies. The proportion of diplomas issued in education fell by 2.4 percentage points, from 11.4% in 2000 to 9.0% in 2010, which constitutes the largest decline in the past decade. Ministère de l Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie 19

22 The training of postgraduate researchers In fall 2010, the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs increased by 4.1%, to Of these doctoral students, 79.3% chose the humanities and social sciences (4 120), applied sciences (3 315), pure sciences (2 154) and health sciences (1 727). In the fall 2010 semester, enrollment in programs leading to a doctorate increased by 4.1% compared to fall This increase reflected a 4.3% rise in female student enrollment and of 3.9% in male student enrollment. The women enrolled in doctoral programs (48.0%), represented a slight increase relative to the (47.9%) enrolled in 2009, and the highest level in Québec history. The majority of doctoral students in the following fields were women: education (67.9%), literature (62.1%), humanities and social sciences (61.4%), health sciences (58.6%), law (52.2%) and arts (51.1%). Between 2000 and 2010, female doctoral enrollment in all fields of study increased by 72%. In the applied sciences, it more than doubled, rising from 322 to 859. To contact us: 1035, rue De La Chevrotière Québec (Québec) G1R 5A5 Telephone: mesrst.gouv.qc.ca 20 Preparing the Summit

23

24 mesrst.gouv.qc.ca