Thursday, March 80, 1 X 7 perhaps more than any other in recent months, is the topic of higher education. By that we mean generally educational opportunities beyond that of the high school level, and perhaps more specifically in this province we refer to university education. It is hardly necessary, Mr. Speaker , to remind this Legislature that education and the student population are exploding at a phenomenal rate. Ten years ago there were 78,000 full-time students in university. Today this figure is up to 286,000, it has tripled and it is further estimated by 1974, that the fulltime enrolment in Canadian Universities will exceed half a million young people. Today in Canada in the university age croup—fifteen to twenty-four—one in ten. Ten percent of these people are full time students. Ten percent are fulltime students in universities. In ten years' time this is expected to change to one in five. Now how does it compare with other countries T At the present time our ten per cent ratio is much lower than the present American ratio which is twenty-one percent, and when we compare ourselves with Russia we are woefully behind. Behind not only in hockey as we learned the last day or two, but we are behind with respect to education. Because in that country over fifty percent of those between the ages of fifteen and twenty—four—the university age- are either in university or in post-secondary vocational and technical institutes. Canada 's efforts towards providing university education must proceed at an accelerated pace. Enrolment figures in existing universities are setting new records, and as we all know, new universities are emerging all across the country. In this province we have two institutions of higher education, University and Prince of Wales College. Each has been in operation for well over one hundred years; they are not new universities by any stretch of the imagination. I am sure that there is hardly a home or a family in this province which has not had some contact either directly or indirectly with either or both of these institutions. Graduates and former students of both of these institutions are located all over the world and they occupy, in many cases, very prominent positions in the business, church, the community and the university life of our country. These former stud¬ ents and graduates have strong loyalties, and quite rightly so, to these universities which they attended in their earlier days in this province. The Bonnell Royal Commission on Higher Education recommended in one sec¬ tion of its report that these instutions might merge into a University of Prince Edward Island. The diversity of origin, development, and emphasis of the two universities in this province make it questionable whether, at this time at least, this would be a satisfactory arrangement. Walter R. Shaw : What does your Leader think of that? Honourable Gordon L Bennett : I will permit my leader to speak for himself. Walter R. Shaw : Well he has spoken, of course. Honourable Gordon L. Bennett : The same type of proposal was made recently in Ontario . The recommended University of Ontario would embrace fourteen universi¬ ties of that province. There was unanimous disagreement from the universities with this recommendation of the Commission that studied this problem. The Principal of Queen's University has this to say and I quote directly from his report. "A holding company in the form of the University of Ontario to co-ordinate and harmonise the work of the f ourten universities is nothing but a massive and inevitably cumbersome organization for a few very specific jobs of co-ordination, an organisation likely to create, in the Ontario environment, more problems than it would solve." Possibly, Mr. Speaker , the same sentiment might apply to our own province. It is felt by many that more can be accomplished by sensible planning and co-ordina¬ tion of university affairs in this province by our two universities than can be done by merging into one university of Prince Edward Island . Co-operation between St . Duastan's and Prince of Wales College must be fostered and improved. As the rep¬ resentatives of the universities come to know one another better they will with increasing trust and confidence. Committees of University Registrars, Deans of Arts and Science, and Librarians could develop co-operative action in then* respective fields. Flexibility and fluidity, co-operation and co-ordination, mutual trust and mutual understanding must play a prominent part in the relationship in the two ex¬ panding universities in this province. To assist the two universities in this effort your —97—