Canada’s ‘Edugration’ Model Faces Growing Scrutiny Amid Calls for Reform
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Canada’s long-standing “edugration” model; the fusion of education and immigration policy has come under sharp scrutiny as experts warn that declining public funding and policy confusion are eroding trust in both systems.
At a recent parliamentary committee meeting on international students, academics and education leaders urged the Canadian government to “urgently restore” public confidence in higher education and immigration while treating them as distinct policy areas.
Lisa Brunner, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia, cautioned that the two issues have become dangerously intertwined. “We must recognise international students as a distinct form of migration,” she said, warning of the “domino effect” caused by policy changes made without proper consultation.
Experts noted that decades of funding cuts have left universities heavily dependent on international student fees. In Ontario, federal funding for universities has dropped to just 21% from nearly 80% in the 1980s. As a result, foreign students now pay almost six times more in tuition than domestic peers, contributing more to the economy than Canada’s aircraft, lumber, and auto parts industries combined.
Witnesses argued that this marketisation of education has coincided with Canada’s record influx of temporary residents in 2022–23, followed by tighter immigration rules, including study permit caps and 16 federal policy changes in under two years. The government’s plan to reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population by 2027 could shrink Canada’s GDP by CAN$37 billion, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Stakeholders also raised concerns over inconsistent provincial policies, such as the allocation of Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs), and called for greater transparency and coordination.
Citing Germany as a model, experts highlighted how robust public funding and equitable tuition policies have enabled that country to attract diverse international students without financial exploitation.
As the committee concluded, witnesses reiterated that Canada must adopt a “holistic and accountable approach” to rebuild stability in both its higher education and immigration systems, or risk losing its competitive edge in global education.
Source: THE PIE NEWS
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