TORONTO - Gains made in education could be lost if the Progressive Conservatives or New Democrats are elected this fall, the governing Liberals warned Monday at the first of several planned events aimed at discrediting the opposition.

PC Leader Tim Hudak may have promised to go ahead with full-day kindergarten for all four- and five-year-olds, but he hasn't provided any details about how he would implement a plan he's previously dismissed as a "frill" and a "shiny new toy," said Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky.

"I believe that they really can't be trusted after years of fighting so hard against it," she said, echoing warnings from Premier Dalton McGuinty, who last month stopped just short of calling Hudak a liar over the plan.

"They have recognized that politically it would be important for them to say that they support it, but I have seen no detail."

The event was one of several "progress reports" the Liberals have planned in advance of the Oct. 6 election. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan will address the economy Tuesday while events on health, infrastructure, electricity and community are also scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

Under previous Tory governments, Dombrowsky said, student aid fell by 41 per cent, tuition fees rose, and colleges and universities saw their budgets cut.

"I was a school board trustee when the (former PC Premier) Mike Harris government came to power, promising the very same kinds of things: 'We're going to cut your taxes, we're going to be more efficient,"' Dombrowsky said.

"But what I can tell you as a school board trustee is that kids paid for those tax cuts, because school boards had fewer resources."

John Milloy, minister of training, colleges and universities, also pointed to cuts to student grants under former Premier Bob Rae's NDP government, which were re-introduced by the Liberals.

"I'm very much prepared to put our record . . . against what happened with the other two parties when they were in power," he said.

New Democrat Cheri DiNovo shot back, saying the Liberal record in fact paints "a horrible picture for education."

"We've got the highest undergraduate and the second-highest post graduate tuition fees in all of Canada, our funding for post-secondary students ranks us 10 out of 10, and the debt for post-secondary students has doubled since 1990," DiNovo said.

"If you get into elementary or high schools, the situation is equally bad -- this nothing to crow about."

Progressive Conservative John O'Toole dismissed the criticism as "more fuss and fury about nothing," saying his party's commitment to education and full-day kindergarten is clearly spelled out in its platform.

"Rather than attacking they should come out with their own plan first -- in fact they should actually tell the truth," O'Toole said.

"Our plan does include full-day learning and it seems to me that they would say anything to get elected."

In addition to full-day learning, the Tories have promised to ramp up education funding by an additional $2 billion by year four if elected and re-direct $30 million in foreign student scholarships back to Ontario students.

The NDP unveiled its platform last month but is planning separate announcements on education.

The party has in the past supported calls for a 10 per cent reduction in university tuition fees, as well as a change in the current funding formula for schools.