Valentine’s Day: Expressing love through bettering education for all

This guest column is written through a partnership with the University of Alberta’s Campus UNICEF and The Gateway.

---

Every February, we centre love in our lives. We buy flowers and chocolates, and commit grand gestures to express this “love.” However, why must we consider love only within the romantic context of February? Love should not only be delegated to our significant others, but it should also be expressed locally and globally through investing in others and aiding in their betterment. 

Few things demonstrate this kind of love more powerfully than education. It is often how those in power, both in micro and macro-structures, exhibit their love for the future generation. Parents help their children get ready for school, be it packing their lunches or sitting with them at the dinner table, pouring over gruelling math equations. Governments fund public schools to provide every child with a chance to achieve a high school-level education. All of these actions exude love. Yet, here in Alberta, and in communities worldwide, education appears to no longer be considered a priority, especially post-secondary education.

In Alberta, we’ve seen drastic cuts directly to post-secondary education in recent years. These cuts have also extended to things like academic upgrading, which some individuals may need to undertake. For instance, Alberta’s Foundational Learning Assistance Program (FLA) fell short $34.7 million in funding this January. This amounts to about 30 per cent of the program’s budget. The FLA is responsible for providing financial aid to low-income students pursuing academic upgrading, English language proficiency, and post-secondary preparation. This cut resulted in a drastic decrease in the amount of students who could receive financial aid for essential education, training programs, tuition, and technology costs. In response, post-secondary institutions (PSIs) had to limit, or completely halt acceptance of new applicants for these programs. This even led to staff layoffs, as was the case at Bow Valley College in Calgary. 

At the post-secondary level, the United Conservative Party (UCP) proposed a 2024–25 budget that allocated $1.8 billion in base operating grants to PSIs. Some have criticized this budget for underfunding PSIs, citing that while funding has technically increased, it fails to keep up with inflation, coming 1.5 per cent short to be exact. As utilities, staff salaries, equipment, and infrastructure maintenance costs rise, universities and colleges are left with less money to cover their expenses.

This financial strain forces institutions to make difficult decisions, such as cutting programs, increasing tuition fees, or scaling back services. All of this has effectively placed the burden of cost upon the students, while placing the quality of their education at risk. For instance, at the University of Alberta, ongoing budget cuts have undoubtedly contributed to deferred maintenance. Deferred maintenance has led to the relocation of classes due to issues like pipes bursting. 

However, this issue isn’t unique to Alberta but rather is an issue that persists globally. Many communities face extensive challenges when it comes to education. In Kenya, for instance, schools often operate with limited resources, sometimes lacking in infrastructure and hygienic necessities. Yet, the value of education is no less important for children in these communities. Education presents an opportunity to pursue their dreams and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

The undervaluing of education comes at the detriment of society. Schools and universities are hubs of discovery, producing skilled workers, and acting as the grounds for many breakthroughs in research. Money invested in education is an investment in the future of the next generation. This is a fact that we must stress both locally and globally.

So this Valentine’s Day, if you’re wondering how to show love, consider not only those in your lives, but those who you may never meet. This is why Campus United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has elected to begin conducting annual rose sales. These roses can act not only as a gift for the special ones in your lives, but as a donation to the Campus UNICEF-run initiative, The Kenya Project. We allocate all donations to Wanzua Primary School in Kitui Kenya to help emphasize the importance of education. This isn’t just a matter of fundraising for equitable education — it’s also an act of solidarity in the pursuit of knowledge.