The heads of four Quebec universities are calling on the province to lift a tuition freeze to ensure the future vitality of post-secondary education.

Quebec tuition hasn't increased since 1994, a freeze that is bleeding money from university budgets that could decrease access to education, Heather Munroe-Blum, principal and vice-chancellor at McGill University, said Wednesday.

The same day, students across the country were staging protests against the high cost of post-secondary education.

"An underfunded system, where young people from the middle and upper classes pay only $1,700 a year in tuition fees, while others who are disadvantaged don't have the resources to attend university, is simply not fair," said Munroe-Blum. "We're pleading with the governments of the day to create a university system that's accessible and high quality."

Lower tuition means a smaller budget that limits new hires, building renovations and financial aid programs, she said, adding that Quebec universities face a $400-million deficit to keep up with costs and maintain education standards at par with those in other provinces.

Rectors at the University of Montreal, Laval University and the University of Sherbrooke also want the tuition freeze lifted.

Indexing Quebec tuition to inflation rates could generate an additional $6 million a year.

PQ will maintain tuition freeze: Liberals won't say

The Quebec Liberal government isn't making any promises about the tuition freeze, on which Premier Jean Charest campaigned in the 2003 election, and is not saying what will happen next.

"What we said we would do, we did it. The freeze is there, up to the end of the mandate," said Education Minister Jean-Marc Fournier.

The Liberals will introduce their education policy once the election campaign is underway, he said.

But the government is considering several scenarios, such as raising tuition and increasing private partnerships, to fill the gap in education funding.

"Foundations in our universitites is something that should, or could be looked at," Fournier said.

The Parti Québécois dismissed calls for deregulated tuition.

On Wednesday, PQ Leader André Boisclair said that if elected premier, he would maintain the freeze on tuition and consider eliminating tuition costs altogether.

The actual cost of tuition overall is small compared to other provincial budgets, Boisclair said.

"The fact is, it concerns only about $320 million. If you look at indexation, it's two or three per cent, which means the debate we're having right now" is for $6 million or $9 million a year.

The PQ would consider entering into a "social contract" with students if tuition were to be eliminated, but didn't offer any details on their policy.

Boisclair said education will be the PQ's top issue in the next provincial election.