Cancellation of Youth In Transition Survey Shortsighted

OTTAWA, July 22 /CNW Telbec/ - The federal government's plan to cut the Youth in Transition Survey, and several other student surveys, will make it all but impossible to make informed education policy.

"The government's misguided assault on student-focused research will leave policy makers shooting in the dark," said David Molenhuis, National Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. "We risk losing the ability to make informed decisions about social and economic policies regarding education."

The federal government recently announced its intention to cancel funding for the Youth In Transition Survey (YITS), National Longitudinal Survey on Children and Youth, the National Apprenticeship Survey, and the Program for International Student Assessment, currently carried out jointly between Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Statistics Canada.

These studies are the primary sources of information on who is attending and who is excluded from post-secondary education. They provide vital information on students, their first post-graduation interaction with the employment market, and the relationship between education and employment. The YITS and the PISA, are required to fulfill international commitments to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's data services. Without this information, policy makers will not be able to tell what is working or identify necessary changes to make students in Canada internationally competitive.

"If policy isn't going to be guided by empirical research, then what will it be guided by?" added Molenhuis.

The Canadian Federation of Students' open letter to Human Resources and Skills Development Minister Diane Finley can be downloaded from www.cfs-fcee.ca.

Founded in 1981, the Canadian Federation of Students is Canada's largest student organisation, uniting more than one-half million students in all ten provinces.

For further information: David Molenhuis, National Chairperson, [phone]