Doug Ford’s OSAP Announcement: The PR Blunder That Angered Students
By Sanjeev Wignarajah
When the Ford Government announced major increase in funding for post-secondary institutions and froze a seven-year tuition hike. It was welcome news for colleges and universities. The Ford Government also announced changes to OSAP, such as dropping grants from 85 per cent to 25 per cent and increasing loans from 15 per cent to 75 per cent. Students were furious and they had a right to be. They organized school walkouts and protested at Queen’s Park to voice their frustration.
Here’s how the Ford Government should have handled this situation.
Stakeholder Engagement
The Ministry of Colleges & Universities should have consulted OSAP changes to students and student unions on how it would impact their studies. From a student’s perspective, navigating today’s economy is brutal, where youth unemployment is at an all-time high and landing a job after graduation is tough. They need 85 per cent of the grants to pay for school, books, and whatever money is left to support themselves.
While the ministry claims that the current funding model is unsustainable. They could have listened to students and student unions about their situation, heard their concerns, and further fixed policies that would benefit both students and post-secondary institutions.
Message Framing
When making announcements regarding post-secondary funding changes, it is important to introduce changes that will impact the livelihood of colleges and universities and their students. The minister should and must provide transparent reasons for the changes like the current OSAP funding model being unsustainable. They should back up the research through data, income levels, etc. As well as answering media questions on the recent changes.
Issue Preparedness
The communications team should have prepped their MPPs and constituents in response to the changes on why it was necessary. A lot of students were angered by the OSAP changes, and they had a right to be. Not just students but parents, too. The number of students voicing their frustration on social media.
There was an instance when three students spoke to their local MPP about the changes, which led to a viral yet tone deaf response from said MPP about ‘working hard, getting a job, and paying off OSAP in months.’ That didn’t sit well with the three students who said it’s harder for them to get ahead in life.
Transparency and Rationale
If the province was adamant in making changes, they should have done a lot of research on OSAP funding and how it actually works because it’s tied to the Federal Government in terms of funding student assistance. Given the number of factors, including the cost of living, the amount provinces spend on post-secondary education, employment numbers in different sectors, etc.
Final Bell
The upcoming academic year appears different as students either entering college or university or returning to the classroom are uncertain about their future, as the Ford Government made changes to OSAP.
Sanjeev Wignarajah is a freelance writer and photographer working with select clients and publications. He has a background in journalism and public relations from Centennial College.