Vancouver Island University (VIU) administration is delaying making a decision on whether to offer classroom-based, adult basic education in Powell River, despite the provincial government returning free tuition status to the program.
VIU acting dean of academic and career preparation Rita Alton said she has asked Powell River campus staff to monitor and track requests for adult basic education classes.
“We are asking the campus to keep lists of potential students and expressions of interest in specific courses, but in the meantime, we are offering online courses,” said Alton.
Alton said she will visit Powell River this fall to look at the community’s interest in bringing back classroom-based adult basic education. Even though a few students may be interested in taking an Physics 11 class, it may not be enough for the university to offer it, she added.
Retired Powell River adult basic education math and science instructor Gerry Joynt said online learning for students who already have a history of difficulty with school is not alway the best.
“The in-class model with an instructor for those students is probably by far the most successful,” said Joynt.
Alton said the university pays close attention to the number of students who are enrolled in online classes to ensure they receive the same level of instruction as they would in a classroom setting.
VIU stopped offering its classroom-based program in Powell River in 2016 after the BC government announced it would discontinue tuition-free upgrading and English as a second language classes.
Joynt, who retired in 2016, said there were generally enough students to run standalone English classes, but usually math and science classes were combined.
Alton taught the adult basic education program in Powell River from 2002 to 2015. She said enrolment had declined for a number of years leading up to the government’s decision to allow institutions to charge tuition.
“The tuition made some difference, but perhaps not as much as people thought,” said Alton.
Alton added that a range of grants were available for low-income students to apply for if they wanted to take the classes.
In 2015, post-secondary institutions were allowed to set fees for adult basic education and English language programs up to $1,600 per semester. As a result, programs saw an overall 35 per cent enrolment drop, according to information from BC Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.
Premier John Horgan announced in August that the province will restore funding for the programs.
