The theory "Ignorance is bliss" that is passed around campuses all over Canada is TRUE... according to one University of Regina College of Education professor. This profound recognition of one of the basic tenants of the English language is going to add fuel to the controversy surrounding the College of Education practice of "accepting" direct entry high school graduate applicants.
A professor at the University of Regina is finding the admission policies of the College of Education on that campus to be somewhat bias.
"The problem," states the Middle-Years Education professor, "is that the College is basing the fundamental principles of this policy on the financial realities that plague university campuses across Canada. They need the revenue that a four-year direct-entry student can generate for the College. Compare that revenue to that which could be generated in an 'after-degree' program and the 'after degree' program doesn't even come close."
"That's not a good enough reason," states a U of R 'after-degree' student who prefers to remain anonymous. "The fact that the College is considering students that haven't even taken any previous post-secondary courses is questionable in the nature of 'education' in and of itself. There are many capable potential educators that have taken a previous degree in another college that are having their applications rejected due to limited space within each subject area. These 'after-degree' applications are technically much stronger and bring much-needed life-experience to the field of education. Yet the policies that are dictating which students are accepted are complete rubbish, because these more experienced students can't bring in the financial revenue that the College of Education needs. The fact of the matter is these 'after-degree' applicants are bringing to the table diverse life-experiences and a maturity that can only be gained through years of post-secondary and occupational involvement. The direct-entry applications may be strong, but how strong in comparison to these other applications is not really even a rational argument. If I were to compare this to a 'real-world' job application, there wouldn't even be a question who would be picked for the position baring any extenuating circumstances."
The College of Education at the U of R is one of the last Canadian Education Colleges to accept direct-entry students into a four-year program. Most of the other Education Colleges across the country have gone to a transfer-type policy that allows for greater diversity within the applicant acceptance rate.
"The policies should be revised to have a more diverse background within the subject areas in the College. Or at least make the accepted applications an even split between the two groups," says one Secondary Education Professor. "In my classrooms I have two 'after-degree' students and fifteen direct-entry students, which doesn't cut it in my opinion. There needs to be a balance."
The U of R College of Education declined to comment.
