MLI Senior Fellow Ken Coates discussed the state of post-secondary education in Canada during an appearance on TVOntario’s The Agenda.
Coates spoke out against the government of Ontario’s plan to increase the number of available university spaces by 60,000.
He said he’s worried that there won’t be enough demand from properly motivated people to fill those spaces, citing research that shows a high rate of first- and second-year students who drop out of school.
“We keep letting in more and more students without making sure they’re ready to compete, ready and able to perform at the level that a university demands”, Coates told host Steve Paikin.
Coates applauded Ontario’s goal of training young people for the economy of the 21st century but said the methods its adopted aren’t effective.
Instead of creating a “buffet table” of a university system that lets students sample various programs, he said provinces should focus their funding on innovative fields.
To watch the full interview, click here.
