An opinion piece in today’s Gazette speaks of the “dishonourable generation” – in the writer’s words, the boomers who now seek to deny future generations the benefits and advantages that they had. Patrick Barnard, a CEGEP teacher, laments the fact that what was good enough for them seems now to be “too good” for their kids. Specifically, he’s talking about the government’s proposal to reform or altogether eliminate the CEGEP system in Quebec:
The dishonourable generation went to CEGEP and university, enjoyed relatively small classes, received scholarships – all the result of public funds channeled through the state. Now those same people have become private and public managers who wish to wrest those benefits from their own progeny. They are the “chicken hawks” of public policy.
I don’t agree that all of the baby boomer generation fits into this category. Most of them – my parents’ generation, in fact – only want what’s best for their kids and grandkids.
But on the CEGEP issue, I think that Barnard is right on target. Quebec may be a messed-up place, but IMHO the CEGEP system was one of the best ideas that any provincial government ever had. Maybe I’m biased – my two years of CEGEP were two of the best years of my life – but the system itself makes an inherent kind of sense. After all, how many people really know after high school what direction they want their lives to take? It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to take a number of different kinds of courses in CEGEP that I had an idea of what field to pursue in university. Not only that, but I learned how to work to a college standard. There’s no way that my high school experience would have even come close to preparing me for a university workload.
CEGEP is a time to adapt to a college-like environment without the stress of a university workload. It’s a time to narrow one’s area of focus slightly while avoiding having to over-specialize just yet. It’s a chance for people to learn a technical career without needing to go to university at all, if they so choose, or to learn the basics of a pre-university field without being too restricted. It’s a chance to make the transition from being a high school “kid”, subject to strict rules and regulations, and an independant university “adult”. And best of all, if you attend a public CEGEP, it’s absolutely free!
My own CEGEP experience was great… an amazing social environment and school atmosphere, excellent teachers, interesting classes, and lasting friendships. I’m not suggesting that everyone loved it as much as I did… but most people seem to enjoy it – students and teachers alike. More importantly, it works.
The solution isn’t to eliminate CEGEPs but to expand their programs and funding. At the same time, the university tuition freeze should be lifted. This would give students access to quality free education at the CEGEP level, and provide them with the option of attending well-funded, world-class universities upon graduation. And by the time they get to that point, thanks to CEGEP they’ll have a fair idea of what they want to study, thus saving wasted money on a year of core courses or on program changes. Hopefully, the government will recognize this and save the CEGEP system before a successful experiment is dumped out the window.