Atlantic Canadian taxpayers invest substantial sums in our region’s universities, but what value are they actually receiving in return for their investment? The conclusions drawn from AIMS latest report, published March 2002, on education entitled, “What’s a Degree Worth: Who Pays and Who Benefits at Atlantic Canada’s Universities?” by AIMS’ Summer Intern, John Philippe, indicate that the current system does not achieve a fair or efficient distribution of the burden of the cost of higher education between taxpayers and students. Through in-depth analysis and calculation, the author clearly identifies the costs and benefits of a post-secondary education to both the individual who acquires that education, and the society that finances a major part of the cost, arguing in part that students, as the major beneficiaries of their education, should be expected to pay more for it. The author also suggests a number of strategies for dealing with migration issues, such as large numbers of out-of-province students, as well as the loss to the region’s economy because so many local students leave after graduation, paying taxes in their new home, rather than in the province that financed their income-enhancing university degree. Philippe suggests sound, logical solutions to many of the problems facing the education system with the goal of creating and maintaining a better value from our university graduates.
