7 Wednesday, March 27, 1968

I contend, Mr. Speaker, to be more specific. that this )rovi c a ’ . luxury, and I said these same things this afternoon to a gi‘oup rbfe Pji‘irndeqdffmllllatlgg Lollege students who met earlier with the Premier and myself, providing let us say a Mathematlcs Ten course, whatever that might be, in one institution, let us say for five students, and with an instructor at a salary of twelve or thirteen thousand dollars, and providing in another institution in this Province the same Mathematics Te‘n course for another five students and with a professor that also costs twelve to "urteen thousand dollars. This, Mr. Speaker, is what I have in mind when I refer

to duplication of services which will have to be reduced if we are able to meet the commitments that these universities have with respect to expenses.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that our grants commission will work out a sound and equitable system for assxstmg our universities with their problems of financing.

Let us not make any mistake about it, there are big problems in financing university education today.

The universities, on the other hand, must do everything that is within their power to assist themselves. A maximum amount of money through fees, board, etc., must be raised. Economies wherever possible without retarding academic progress and growth must be effected by universities. And most important, and I have em-

phasised this more than once, co-operation, and co—ordination between our two in— stitutions must be cultivated and encouraged.

The government, through the grants commission, is anxious to develop for this province a system of higher education rather than a development of two quite inde- pendent and completely isolated universities. I recommend that our two universi- ties take the initiative in developing a cooperative attitude, and I am confident that

the grants commission, and the government, will support and encourage them in their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, before concluding these remarks I wish to reveal to the members of this Legislature a few of the plans which have evolved as a result of a very

serious study and evaluation in this Province of our elementary and secondary school needs.

Members of my Department have devoted a great deal of time studying this particular problem during the past year, and have consulted with many individuals and groups throughout the province with a View to providing the very best possible form of education on a provincial basis. Many discussions have also been held with the members of the Economic Improvement Corporation, and their views and their opinions have been carefully considered in the crystalization of our plans.

The major goal of the reorganization of our educational system is to create Jurisdictions capable of extending equal educational opportunities to all the boys and girls of Prince Edward Island. Such changes are necessary in a rapidly changing society, and, as we know, these changes have been effected recently in both Ontario and in New Brunswick. Inherent in this objective is the necsessity to offer a total school program to meet the needs and the interests of the students, and to provide

for the great variety representd by individual differences and abilities, background, and experience.

At the present time some jurisdictions within this Province are meeting these objectives to a very high degree. Others are unable to do so, because of the limita- tions imposed on them by too small a student population, too small a geographic area, and too narrow a tax base. These limitations make it impossible to offer a

wide range of educational programs to attract the best teachers, and to co-ordinate the special services required.

It is proposed, Mr. Speaker, to establish in this Province seven large adminis- trative boards in addition to those in Summerside and Charlottetown, which boards will have jurisdiction over the elementary and the secondary school education in this province. With the full implementation of the system each large trustee boards will administer the consolidated schools and the high school or high schools in the ad- ministrative area. These seven boards will replace the upwards of 400 boards that have been in existence in this province through the years.

These large units of administration will avoid, we trust, many of the de-

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