Post-secondary education in Alberta is heavily reliant on government funding. The current provincial government has studied funding levels in other Canadian jurisdictions and concluded the public cost of post-secondary education in Alberta is too high.
The conclusion is supported by the cost analysis of selected universities and colleges across Canada. The result is a significant reduction in Alberta government financial support of post-secondary institutions.
Accept and Resolve
Resistance to the cuts, while a natural reaction is both probably futile but also the question arises, “Is it the best approach?” Perhaps reducing costs could lead to greater efficiency and quality.
There is undoubtedly a human cost mostly due to a reduction in well-compensated jobs with a good personal work-life balance. This job reduction does not need to reduce the quality or effectiveness of education services.
In reality, the layers which develop in large organizations over time often result in a costly bureaucracy that is both less efficient and produces lower quality than a more streamlined organization.
More with Less
Efficiency experts, largely now termed business process analysts have for years demonstrated the principle of better results from eliminating a bloated cost base of human resources.
Doing fewer things does not equate to poorer results. I have personally experienced this truth on numerous occasions.
Initially, I was extremely skeptical but over time, my own observations have led to the conclusion expense reductions often do lead to improved quality of operations and surprisingly increased revenue.
Spending Gets Results (Not Always)
Spending is necessary to achieve results. People need to be fairly paid for their efforts. However, more people and more cost will often reduce effectiveness and quality, the right balance is critical, more does not automatically equal better.
