TORONTO - Ontario's universities and colleges will get $310 million from the budget to make good on a government promise to create 20,000 new post-secondary spaces this fall.

The push to get more people in Ontario into -- and completing -- post-secondary education was indicated in this month's speech from the throne, in which the government promised more higher education spots.

The $310 million is for operating costs, with the capital costs coming from existing sources.

The speech also signalled the government wants to increase the number of foreign students studying in Ontario from 37,000 to about 54,000. To achieve that, the budget notes the province intends to "aggressively" promote Ontario's colleges and universities abroad, though no dollar figure was attached to the plan.

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said aiming to increase international enrolment by 50 per cent while guaranteeing spaces for qualified Ontario students is "very good public policy."

"(It) represents an enormous opportunity for students from around the world to come here and get a really good education," he said.

"Second, it represents, I think, a great opportunity for us. A lot of those people will return to their country of origin, some will stay. It will help us build better relationships."

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said it's not what Ontario's post-secondary education system needs right now.

"College and university students will see more of the same debt and climbing costs," she said.

"While the government focuses on attracting students from abroad, students from Ontario are paying the highest tuition fees in the country and still receive less funding per student than in any other province.

"For these students and their parents the cost of a good education is decades of debt."

No specific costs were associated with plans to implement a credit transfer system or establish an Ontario Online Institute either, but a government official said the funding has been set aside in the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities budget.

Detailed plans to achieve those goals and associated costs will be announced later.

Total education sector spending is projected to rise in 2010-11 to $21.4 billion, an increase of $700 million over the previous year. The funding increase is projected to continue to $22.3 billion in 2011-12 and $23 billion the next year.