The University Transition Program (UTP) suspended its admissions for the 2024/25 school year pending an external review following concerns regarding students’ mental health.
The UTP is jointly run and funded by the Ministry of Education and Childcare, the Vancouver School Board (VSB) and UBC, which hosts the program on campus.
Since 1993, the UTP offered 20 BC students, recognized as academically gifted, the opportunity to complete their secondary education in an accelerated two-year curriculum, allowing them to enter university as early as age 15.
The UTP has come under scrutiny over allegations that students didn't receive enough support, and concerns around a "negative culture."
In a statement to The Ubyssey, the BC Ministry of Education and Childcare wrote “The decision to conduct an external review and pause the admission process was made by the ministry and the Vancouver School Board (VSB) in consultation with the University of British Columbia (UBC) and in response to significant concerns raised about interactions within the school community that have impacted the mental health and well-being of some students.”
The review is to be conducted by the Deetken Group, a Vancouver business management consultant firm, and will be “comprehensive in nature, exploring various aspects of the program from the perspectives of current students, their families, staff and alumni,” according to the Ministry.
Both the Ministry and the VSB emphasized that plans have not yet been made regarding the future of the UTP, and any changes will depend on the findings from the Deetken Groups’ review.
“The program will continue to operate for student who are currently enrolled,” wrote the VSB in a statement to The Ubyssey, adding that the program has not been terminated.
The VSB wrote that UTP admissions were suspended to “allow time for completion of the program review and examination of recommended changes.”
“This decision was made with careful consideration and reflects our dedication to the mental and emotional welfare of students and their families. The gravity of the identified concerns requires us to take prompt and decisive action to prioritize the well-being of students.”
Some community members opposed to suspension
Jonathan Chan, a UTP alum and second-year UBC pharmacology student is concerned about the suspension, and said he feels there has been a lack of communication between the tri-organization coalition and UTP parents and students leading up to the decision’s announcement.
“In my view, I think it should have started with consulting with students, with parents, with alumni, before the VSB made any rash decisions like it did. This review is about the mental health of students, right? So why didn't they talk to students before pausing admissions?”
Chan also noted a petition calling for a halt on the suspension of UTP admissions, which at the time of writing has garnered over 1,200 signatures, as proof of an upset community.
The petition writes the UTP “is a vital resource for a uniquely vulnerable and often overlooked section of the student population.”
Chan said he resonated with this sentiment as he felt unchallenged and overlooked in traditional school before enrolling in the UTP, where staff are trained specifically in accelerated education for gifted students.
He is worried that the decision to suspend UTP admissions fits into a larger trend of rolling back programs aimed to aid gifted students. Across the country, gifted programs have been the source of debate about elitism and exclusivity.
Chan and other advocates argue that these gifted programs do in fact embody an equitable approach to education, in providing students with the appropriate help that they need, rejecting a one size fits all approach.
“It's a more tailored educational experience,” he said. “It was stressful. But I want to emphasize … I knew that it was going to be challenging.”