NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese says Dalton McGuinty is failing as the self-proclaimed “Education Premier” with universities across the province addressing their budgetary shortfalls with job cuts and tuition fee hikes.

“The McGuinty government has starved Ontario's universities and colleges, and students will pay the price for it. Chronic underfunding of post-secondary education has lead to privatized services, an increase in casual and contract work, deferred maintenance and skyrocketing student debt. The McGuinty Liberals have perpetuated the Harris cuts, not reversed them,” said Marchese.

Marchese noted a number of universities across the province will address their budgetary shortfalls with tuition hikes.

“The University of Western Ontario is talking about early retirements, job cuts and tuition fee hikes to cope with a $41-million revenue shortfall by 2011. Fanshawe College is looking at layoffs to address a budget shortfall of $6.5-million. Brock University is forecasting a budget shortfall of $17-million, and budget cuts of 7 per cent across the board. All which adds up to fewer full-time faculty, higher class sizes and more student debt,” said Marchese.

While Ontario's tuition fees are already amongst the highest in the country, the province ranks dead last in per capita funding for students.

New Demcorats support freezing tuition fees at pre-McGuinty levels and are calling on the government to immediately offer adequate funding for post-secondary institutions.

”It is when the economy is sliding that you are supposed to be making strategic investments for the future. If Dalton McGuinty is interested in helping students go to college and university, he can start by properly funding post-secondary institutions so students won’t have to suffer sky-high tution fees,” said Marchese.