The rector of the University of Montreal, Daniel Jutras, threw a wrench into the pond, questioning the relevance and effectiveness of the Perspective Québec (PBPQ) scholarship program, one of the Legault government's primary measures to address staff shortages in some key sectors. economy.
Note that this program was announced in the context of Operation Manpower (OPMO) in the fall of 2021. It allows all students enrolled in one of the targeted study programs to receive a stipend of $1,500 at CEGEP and $2,500 at the university for each full-time session successfully completed.
The programs in question lead to employment in the fields of teaching, early childhood education, engineering, information technology or health and social services.
The scholarship program was expected from its inception to cost the Ministry of Higher Education $1.7 billion over five years, representing a significant portion of the overall planned investment of $3.9 billion.OPMO.
The Perspective Quebec scholarship program had a rocky start, although the distribution of scholarships began steadily in the winter of 2023.
Since then, 189,000 scholarships have been awarded, with a total of $394 million distributed.
Unbelievable statisticsUdeM
In an interview with Radio-Canada, the rector of the University of Montreal criticized the program two years after its introduction.
It's still a big envelope, and I'm not sure if it's maxed out.
The rector of the University of Montreal, Daniel Jutras, addressed a number of subjects, including university funding and scientific research, during an editorial schedule with Radio-Canada. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Renaud Boulanger
The University of Montreal is one of the academic institutions receiving eligible students for the Perspective Quebec scholarship program with 30 eligible programs in three of the four targeted fields at the university level.
Investing requires us to develop a track record or diligence that we do not have [dans les études] That we are not. But the causal link is not clear
As Daniel Zutras explains, there are doubts about the effectiveness of these scholarships.
In the fall, following an analysis based on the number of registrations for the programs concerned, the university has actually drawn an initial, more nuanced portrait of the implications of Perspective Quebec scholarships.
For example, we observed increases in enrollments in criminology and math-computer science. There was an increase in social work, but this was due to increased reception capacity. On the other hand, the number of new entrants in Psychology, Computer Science, Nursing, Psychology and Educational Sciences has decreased.
And, in light of the data sent by the Université de Montréal's admissions and recruitment service regarding the last wave of admission applications for fall 2024, the observation is not very wise.
Evolution of the number of individual candidates in programs eligible for the Perspective Quebec scholarship
| program | Fall 2021 | Fall 2023 | Fall 2024 | Change from 2023 to 2024 | Switch from 2021 to 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching (9 Programs) | 1984 | 1722 | 1349 | ▼ | ▼ |
| Health and Social Services (9 programs) | 4352 | 4077 | 3601 | ▼ | ▼ |
| Information Technology (4 Schemes) | 818 | 938 | 737 | ▼ | ▼ |
| Total | 6641 | 6276 | 5402 | ▼ | ▼ |
If we look at the number of people who applied for admission to at least one of the programs eligible for Perspective Quebec scholarships, we see a 19% drop between 2021 – before the program came into existence – and 2024. 14% less than last year.
The decline was particularly marked in academic programs, including bachelor's degrees in preschool education and elementary education, and in some health and social service programs, such as bachelor's degrees in criminology and psychology.
One of the objectives of the scholarship program is to attract students to these fields [ciblées par les bourses Perspective]In light of the statistics of admission applications for the fall terms of recent years, it is clear that this objective has not been achieved.
Genevieve O'Meara, spokeswoman for the University of Montreal, writes.
The decline observed in these programs is similar to that observed in all other undergraduate programs at the university.
Is the money well invested?
Rector Daniel Jutras also criticizes the lack of modulation of the amount awarded according to students' financial capabilities or profile. The same is not true in engineering or computer science, where there are many paid internships. I think this element is misjudged
He continues.
I feel that this measure would have been better adjusted if the financial needs of the students were taken into account rather than giving a lump sum to all the students in all these fields.
Chairman of the Office of Inter-University Coordination (PCI) Mr. Jutras deplores the fact that the upstream university community was not consulted in a structured manner during the reflection on the creation of these scholarships.
He understands that there are labor needs and that some incentive measures would be a good way to partially address this, although he is critical of the utilitarian approach that has been adopted. The choice to target certain sectors, I think, will last for a while, but it should not be resolved
He insists.
Quebec responds in drips and drops
Radio-Canada attempted to obtain documents and internal analyzes carried out so far at the Ministry of Higher Education (MES) to assess the effectiveness of the Perspective Quebec scholarship program.
However, a response received from the ministry referred us to documents that had already been made public nearly a year ago following access requests. He also refused to send us Some documents were identified
In relation to our request, on the basis that they are a part Continuous decision making process
Or they were prepared for Higher Education Minister Pascal Derrick.
The N It has, however, sent us data on the number of scholarships awarded, which shows an increase in the number of beneficiaries. Approximately 61,600 students received this financial aid for the fall 2022 session, while more than 66,000 received it for the fall 2023 session.
The number of beneficiaries in programs related to teaching and early childhood education remained fairly stable, but it increased in engineering (+1100), health and social services (+1000) and information technology (+1600).
However, it is important to note that students must apply online to receive this scholarship: it will not be automatically paid to them.
At the time of writing, Radio-Canada was awaiting a response from Minister Terry's office regarding the content of this report.
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