Education IN CANADA

There are three types of school in Canada: public, private and Catholic. According to the law education is obligatory from kids from the age of 6-7 till 15-16 years old. Education is usually free of charge, parents have to pay only for education in private schools. The supreme authority for school is a Department of Education of a province.

Unlike all the other highly developed countries, Canada does not have a nation - wide state system of education: the constitution gives each province the right to choose its own curriculum. Every provincial educational system, though similar to other, reflects region, history and culture of the province. The chiefs of provincial departments of education headed by the elected minister, establish standards, approve subject and finance educational establishments. Local elected school councils are responsible for primary and secondary schools. They plan school budgets, employ teachers and establish school timetables according to the requirements of the provincial legislation.

Private schools are organized in forms of systems and associations. The most famous association is Montessori. Private schools seldom advertise themselves. There is a rather high competition to enter them. In some private schools they admit children even before the birth. Middle class makes a significant part of Canadian population, therefore the number of parents wishing to send their kids to elite schools is constantly increasing.

The school year in Canada being on the first Tuesday of September immediately after the Labor Day celebration on September, 1 and finishes at the end of June. It is divided into four terms, school vacations between them last no more than a week. In Alberta, there is typically 2 weeks vacation at Christmas and 1 week at Easter. The number of terms a school has depends on the decisions of the school. It could be 2 semesters, three terms or 4 terms.

In primary schools children study from grade 1 to grade 6. In secondary school or junior high - from grade 7 to grade 9 and in high school - from grade 10 to grade 12. Education is compulsory only in primary and secondary school. High school grades are divided into levels which differ from each other by whether they prepare to universities or not.

Canadian curriculum is very flexible: each student has a right to choose subjects to study at school. If a student achieves good results in a subject, it is possible for him to get a higher degree.

5,000,000 students attend public schools in Canada, one fourth of them study at Catholic schools, a quarter of a million study at private schools.

Private schools have the right to establish and take own exams, both intermediate and final. In some provinces there is a certification system of graduates, if a graduate does not get a necessary minimum of percents at final exams, he is not admitted to continue his education at a college or university.

The government of Canada adopted a program of students' grants, according to it more than 100,000 students will get educational grants in 2000-2010. The average of the grant is 3,000 Canadian dollars a year, so each student can get 15,000 dollars for 4 academic years. These grants could reduce expenses on education on a half.

Canada surpasses all the countries in the world by expenses on education per one citizen. The large amount of educated people in Canada (more than a half of Canadians continue their education after they have reached the age of 15) enables to support and even raise the living standards and approves that it is the country where intellectual progress is appreciated and encouraged.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1744