Education in Canada is provided,
funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local
governments. Education is within provinicial jurisdiction
and the curriculum is overseen by the province.[1] Education
in Canada is generally divided into Elementary (Primary
School, Public School), followed by Secondary (High School)
and Post Secondary (University, College). Within the
provinces under the ministry of education, there are
district school boards administering the educational
programs.[2] Education is compulsory up to an age of 16.
Canada generally has 190 school days in the year, officially
starting from September (after Labour Day) to the end of
June (usually the last Friday of the month, Wednesday in
Ontario in Catholic Schools).
Pre-university
Primary education and secondary
education combined are sometimes referred to as K-12
(Kindergarten through Grade 12). It should be noted that
this structure can vary from school to school, and from
province to province (for instance, Prince Edward Island
does not offer kindergarten in the school system).
In Canada, secondary schooling, known as high school, "école
secondaire" or secondary school, differs depending on the
province in which one resides. Additionally, grade structure
may vary within a province and even within a school
division. Typically, Canada's secondary school system
follows the American pattern with some variations.
Ontario had a "Grade 13" known as Ontario Academic Credit (OAC)
year, but this was abolished by the provincial government to
cut costs. OAC was last offered for the 2002-2003 school
year. As a result, the curriculum has been compacted, and
the more difficult subjects, such as mathematics, are
comparatively harder than before. However, the system is now
approximately equivalent to what has been the case outside
of Quebec and Ontario for many years. Secondary education in
Quebec continues to Grade 11 (Secondary V), and is typically
followed by CEGEP, a two or three year college program taken
after high school. Pre-university CEGEP programs are two
years in Quebec (university for Quebecers is three years),
and vocational or professional programs are three years in
duration (see Education in Quebec).
Post-secondary education
Post-secondary education in
Canada is also the responsibility of the individual
provinces and territories. Those governments provide the
majority of funding to their public post-secondary
institutions, with the remainder of funding coming from
tuition fees, the federal government, and research grants.
Compared to other countries in the past, Canada has had the
highest tertiary school enrollment as a percentage of their
graduating population.
Nearly all post-secondary institutions in Canada have the
authority to grant academic credentials (i.e., diplomas or
degrees). Generally speaking, universities grant degrees
(e.g., bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees) while
colleges, which typically offer vocationally-oriented
programs, grant diplomas and certificates. However, some
colleges offer applied arts degrees that lead to or are
equivalent to degrees from a university.
Post-secondary education in Quebec begins with CEGEP (collèges
d'enseignement général et professionnel), following
graduation from Grade 11 (or Secondary V). Students complete
a two- or three-year general program leading to admission to
a university, or a professional program leading directly
into the labour force. In most cases, bachelor's degree
programs in Quebec are three years instead of the usual
four; however, in many cases, students attending a
university in Quebec that did not graduate from CEGEP must
complete an additional year of coursework. When Ontario had
five years of high school, a three-year bachelor's degree
was common, but these degrees are being phased out in favour
of the four-year degree.
The main variation between the provinces, with respect to
universities, is the amount of funding they receive.
Universities in Quebec receive the most funding and have the
lowest tuitions. Universities in Atlantic Canada generally
receive the least funding and some, like Acadia University,
are almost wholly reliant on private funding.
The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), is the military
academy of the Canadian Forces and is a full degree-granting
university. RMC is the only federal institution with degree
granting powers.
Private
schools
In Canada there is no obligation
for parents to place their children in the public school
system, and about 8% of students are in the private system.
A minority of these are elite private schools. These schools
are attended by only a small fraction of students, but do
have a great deal of prestige and prominence. It is not
unusual for the wealthy and prominent in Canada to send
their children to public schools, especially in the lower
grades. A far larger portion of private schools are
religious based institutions. Private Schools are also used
to study outside the country. For Example CCI has an Ontario
curriculum, but the students study in Italy.
Private
Universities
At present, all private
universities in Canada maintain a religious history or
foundation. British Columbia’s Quest University will become
the first privately funded liberal arts university without a
denominational affiliation (although it is not the first
private liberal arts university). Many provinces, including
Ontario and Alberta, have passed legislation allowing
private degree-granting institutions (not necessarily
universities) to operate there.
Many Canadians remain polarized on the issue of permitting
private universities into the Canadian market. On the one
hand, Canada’s top universities find it difficult to compete
with the private American powerhouses because of funding,
but on the other hand, the fact that the price of private
universities tends to exclude those who cannot pay that much
for their education could prevent a significant portion of
Canada’s population from being able to attend these schools.
Residential
School System
The
Canadian residential school system consisted of a number of
schools for Aboriginal children, operated during the 20th
century by churches of various denominations (about sixty
per cent by Roman Catholics, and thirty per cent by the
Protestants) and funded under the Indian Act by Indian and
Northern Affairs Canada, a branch of the federal government.
The schools' purpose was, according to the Gradual
Civilization Act, to "civilize" aboriginals, teach them
English or French, convert them to Christianity, and end
their traditional ways of life.
Religious
schools
Each province deals differently
with private religious schools. In Ontario the Catholic
system continues to be fully publicly funded, but other
faiths receive no such funding. Ontario has several private
Jewish, Muslim, and Christian schools, but all are funded
through tuition fees. Since the Catholic schools system is
entrenched in the constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled
that this system is not unconstitutional. However, the
United Nations has ruled that Ontario's system is unfair. In
2002 the government of Mike Harris introduced a
controversial program to partially fund all private schools,
but this was criticized for undermining the public education
system and the program was eliminated after the Liberals won
the 2003 provincial election.
Similar to the UK, education in
Canada at the elementary and secondary levels is the
responsibility of the regional governments. Although there
are similarities in the thirteen education systems, each
reflects the diversity of its own regional history, culture,
and geography. To apply for admission to an elementary or
secondary school in Canada you should contact the
appropriate provincial ministry of education directly.
The school
year normally runs from September to June. In general,
Canadian children attend kindergarten at the age of four or
five on a voluntary basis. They begin Grade One at about six
years of age. Secondary schools go up to Grades 11, 12 or
13, depending on the province. From there, students may
attend university, college or Cégep studies. Cégep is a
French acronym for College of General and Vocational
Education, and is two years of general or three years of
technical education between high school and university. Only
the province of Québec has the Cégep system.
CANADA'S MINISTRIES OF EDUCATION
Parents might wish to contact
the provincial and territorial ministries of education
directly for information. This is a good idea as they all
have their own distinct systems. Their websites offer
detailed information on curriculum, admission procedures and
quality assurance.
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF
INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS (CAIS)
CAIS is a
membership organisation of private elementary and secondary
schools across Canada.
EDUCATION CANADA
The
education@canada website is an information resource of
the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), the
secretariat for the provincial and territorial ministries
responsible for education.
