Education in Canada

Published on January 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 45 | Comments: 0 | Views: 281
of 17
Download PDF   Embed   Report

Comments

Content

Education in Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Education in Canada

Educational oversight Provincial & Territorial Ministers of Education:

List of Ministers[show]

National education budget (2002) Budget 3.6% of GDP‡[14] Per Student US$6,482[14] General Details Primary Languages English, French System Type Provincially Controlled Literacy Male 99%[15] Female 99%[15] Attainment Secondary diploma 76.1%[16] Post-secondary diploma 53.4%[16] ‡ Includes primary, secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education.

Education in Canada is for the most part provided publicly, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments.[citation needed] Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province.[17] Education in Canada is generally divided into primary education, followed by secondary education and post-secondary. Within the provinces under the ministry of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programs.[18] Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick, where the compulsory age is 18. In some provinces early leaving exemptions can be granted under certain circumstances at 14. 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, except in some cases in Quebec when it is just before June 24 – the provincial holiday).

Contents
[hide]


1 Canada-wide
○ ○ ○

1.1 Divisions by religion and language 1.2 Length of study 1.3 Authorities

• • •

2 Pre-university 3 Post-secondary education 4 Private schools


4.1 Private Universities

• • •

5 Religious schools


5.1 History of religious schools

6 Residential School System 7 Levels in education
○ ○ ○

7.1 Canada outside Quebec 7.2 Quebec 7.3 Grade structure by province

• • • • •

8 Provincial and Territorial Departments and Ministries 9 See also 10 Footnotes 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Canada-wide
Elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education in Canada is a provincial responsibility and there are many variations between the provinces. Some educational fields are supported at various levels by federal departments. The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada is responsible for the education of First Nations.[19][20] Vocational training can be subsidized by the Learning branch of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (a federal department).[21][22][23]

1950 Canadian School Train. Pupils attend classes at Nemegos near Chapleau, Ontario. Junior Kindergarten (or equivalent) as an official program exists only in Ontario currently. Kindergarten (or its equivalent) is available in every province, but provincial funding, and the number of hours provided varies widely. Starting at grade one, at age six or seven, there is universal publicly funded access up to grade twelve (or equivalent). Dependent on the province the age of mandatory entry is at 4–7 years. Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen (eighteen in Ontario and New Brunswick). About one out of ten Canadians does not have a high school diploma – one in seven has a university degree – the adult population that is without a high school diploma is a combination of both immigrant and Canadian-born. In many places, publicly-funded high school courses are offered to the adult population. The ratio of high school graduates versus non diploma-holders is changing

rapidly, partly due to changes in the labour market that require people to have a high school diploma and, in many cases, a university degree. Canada spends about 7% of its GDP on education. Since the adoption of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1982, education in both English and French has been available in most places across Canada (if the population of children speaking the minority language justifies it), although French Second Language education/French Immersion is available to anglophone students across Canada. According to an announcement of Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Canada is introducing a new, fast-track system to let foreign students and graduates with Canadian work experience become permanent eligible residents in Canada.[24] Most schools have introduced one or more initiatives such as programs in Native studies, antiracism, Aboriginal cultures and crafts; visits by elders and other community members; and content in areas like indigenous languages, Aboriginal spirituality, indigenous knowledge of nature, and tours to indigenous heritage sites.[25] Although these classes are offered, most appear to be limited by the area or region in which students reside. "The curriculum is designed to elicit development and quality of people's cognition through the guiding of accommodations of individuals to their natural environment and their changing social order"[26] Finally, "some scholars view academics as a form of "soft power" helping to educate and to create positive attitudes."[27] Furthermore, "subjects that typically get assessed (i.e., language arts, mathematics, and science) assume greater importance than non-assessed subjects (i.e., music, visual arts, and physical education) or facets of the curriculum (i.e., reading and writing versus speaking and listening)."[28] The students in the Canadian school system receive a variety of classes that are offered to them. The system is set up to meet the diverse needs of the individual student.

[edit] Divisions by religion and language
Originally all the provinces had educational systems divided by religion, but most provinces have abolished these. Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and certain cities in Saskatchewan are exceptions to this, as they still maintain publicly-funded Separate district school boards (usually Catholic but occasionally Protestant). In Quebec, the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French/English one in 1998. Quebecers must attend a French School up until the end of high school unless one of their parents previously attended an English-language school somewhere in Canada (immigrants from other countries cannot use this exception). In other provinces, English Speakers are not allowed to attend French Schools, unless one of the parent has French language as mother tongue, but they can easily attend French Immersion Schools.

[edit] Length of study
Most Canadian education systems continue up to grade twelve (age seventeen to eighteen). In Quebec, the typical high school term ends after Secondary V/Grade eleven (age sixteen to seventeen); following this, students who wish to pursue their studies to the university level have to attend college. Grade 11 was also the end of secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador prior to the introduction of grade 12 in 1983.

[edit] Authorities
Normally, for each type of publicly funded school (such as Public English or Public French), the province is divided into districts (or divisions). For each district, board members (trustees) are elected only by its supporters within the district (voters receive a ballot for just one of the boards in their area). Normally, all publicly funded schools are under the authority of their local district school board. These school boards would follow a common curriculum set up by the province the board resides in. Only Alberta allows public charter schools, which

are independent of any district board. Instead, they each have their own board, which reports directly to the province.

[edit] 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.. In contrast, Ontario is the only province which provides two levels of Kindergarten (Junior and Senior). In Canada, secondary schooling, known as high school or collegiate institute or "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. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick (where the compulsory ages are 18). Students may continue to attend high school until the ages of 19 to 21 (the cut-off age for high school varies between province). Those 19 and over may attend adult school. Also if high schoolers are expelled or suspended for a period of time over 2 months or so they could attend night school at the high school. In Calgary Alberta, Bishop Carroll High School has a system that is similar to university graduate school. At Bishop Carroll students do not attend classes like in many other high schools. They instead attended lectures and work at their own pace to achieve units. Each course as a set number of units which the student has to attain in order to get credit. 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 college, a two year pre-university (university for Quebecers is three years, except Engineering), or three year vocational program taken after high school. (see Education in Quebec). An increasing number of international students are attending pre-university courses at Canadian high schools like Columbia International College which has an enrollment of over 1,300 students from all over the world.

[edit] Post-secondary education
See also: List of universities in Canada and Group of Thirteen (Canadian universities) This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010)

Canadian university enrollment in various subjects - 2005/2006 [29] 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 vocationallyoriented programs, grant diplomas and certificates. However, some colleges offer applied arts degrees that lead to or are equivalent to degrees from a university. Private career colleges are overseen by legislative acts for each province, For example in British Columbia training providers will be registered and accredited with the (PCTIA) Private Career Training Institutions Agency regulated under the Private Career Training Institutions Act (SBC 2003) [30] Each province with their own correlating agency. Unlike the United States, there is no "accreditation body" that oversees the universities in Canada. Universities in Canada have degree-granting authority via an Act or Ministerial Consent from the Ministry of Education of the particular province. Post-secondary education in Quebec begins with college 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 college 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.

[edit] Private schools

About 8% of students are in private schools.[31] 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, Canadian College Italy has an Ontario curriculum, but the students study in Italy. Private schools have historically been less common on the Canadian Prairies and were often forbidden under municipal and provincial statutes enacted to provide equality of education to students regardless of family income. This is especially true in Alberta, where successive Social Credit (or populist conservative) governments denounced the concept of private education as the main cause of denial of opportunity to the children of the working poor. These rules lasted longer than Social Credit; it was only in 1989 that private K-12 schools were allowed to operate inside the boundaries of the City of Calgary.

[edit] Private Universities
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2010) In the past, private universities in Canada maintained a religious history or foundation. Although since 1999, the Province of New Brunswick passed the Degree Granting Act [1] allowing private universities to operate in the Province.[32][33] The University of Fredericton is the newest University to receive designation in New Brunswick. Trinity Western University, in Langley British Columbia, was founded in 1962 as a junior college and received full accreditation in 1985. In 2002, British Columbia’s Quest University became 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.

[edit] Religious schools
Each province deals differently with private religious schools. In Ontario the Catholic system continues to be fully publicly funded while other faiths are not. Ontario has several private Jewish, Muslim, and Christian schools all funded through tuition fees. Since the Catholic schools system is entrenched in the constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled that this system is constitutional. However, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has ruled that Ontario's system is discriminatory, suggesting that Ontario either fund no faith-based schools, or all of them.[34] 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. In other provinces privately operated religious schools are funded. In British Columbia the government pays 50% of the cost of religious schools that meet rigorous provincial standards. The province has a number of Sikh, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim schools. Alberta also has a

network of charter schools, which are fully funded schools offering distinct approaches to education within the public school system. Alberta charter schools are not private and the province does not grant charters to religious schools. These schools have to follow the provincial curriculum and meet all standards, but are given considerable freedom in other areas. In all other provinces private religious schools receive some funding, but not as much as the public system. An example of how schools can be divided by religions in Toronto includes the Toronto Catholic District School Board and Toronto District School Board.

[edit] History of religious schools
The role of religion in Canadian education has been controversial for centuries. The first schools in New France were operated by the church. In the early nineteenth century the colonial governments moved to set up publicly funded education systems. However, soon religious divisions became problematic. At the time religious study was considered an integral part of education, but Protestants and Catholics were deeply divided over how this education should be delivered. In Upper Canada the Catholic minority rejected the Protestant practice of Biblical study in schools, while in Lower Canada the Protestant minority objected to the education system instilling Roman Catholic dogma. Thus in both these areas two schools systems were established, a Catholic and a Protestant. Upon Confederation these schools systems were enshrined in the British North America Act, 1867. In the three Maritime provinces, schools were mainly Protestant, and a single Protestant oriented school system was established in each of them. In Newfoundland there was not only the Catholic/Protestant split, but also deep divisions between Protestant sects, and nine separate schools systems were set up, one catering to each major denomination. Eventually the major Protestant boards merged into an integrated school system. The three Prairie provinces adopted a system based on Ontario's with a dominant Protestant system, and smaller Catholic ones. In 1891, however Manitoba moved to eliminate the Catholic board, sparking the Manitoba Schools Question. Eventually the Catholic school system in that province was merged with the Protestant one. British Columbia established a non-sectarian school system in 1872. Over time, the originally Protestant school boards of English Canada, known as the public schools, became increasingly secularized as Canadians came to believe in the separation of Church and state, and the main boards became secular ones. In Ontario all overt religiosity was removed from the public school system in 1990. In two provinces the sectarian education systems have recently been eliminated through constitutional change. Newfoundland and Labrador eliminated its tri-denominational Catholic-Protestant-Pentecostal system after two referendums. In Quebec the Catholic/Protestant divide was replaced with a French language/English language one.

[edit] 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 Indian Act, to "civilize" aboriginals, teach them English or French, convert them to Christianity, and end their traditional ways of life. A great number of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students suffered sexual abuse and cultural assimilation in the residential school system. The incidents mark one of the greatest cultural tragedies in Canadian history.

[edit] Levels in education
[edit] Canada outside Quebec
As the education system in Canada is managed by the varying provincial governments in Canada, the way the educational stages are grouped and named may differ from each region. For example, the Ministry of Education in Nova Scotia refers to Kindergarten as Grade Primary.[35] Also, opposed to their French designations in Quebec, Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten in Ontario are called Maternelle and CPE Centre de la Petite Enfance in French.[36] Students in the Prairie provinces are not required by statute to attend kindergarten. As a result, kindergarten often is not available in smaller towns. The ages are the age of the students when they end the school year in June.


Early childhood education


Junior Kindergarten (ages 4–5) (Ontario only)[37]

○ Grade Primary or Kindergarten (ages 5–6)


Elementary education ○ Grade 1 (ages 6–7) ○ Grade 2 (ages 7–8) ○ Grade 3 (ages 8–9) ○ Grade 4 (ages 9–10) ○ Grade 5 (ages 10–11) ○ Grade 6 (ages 11–12) ○ Grade 7 (ages 12–13) ○ Grade 8 (ages 13–14)



Secondary education ○ Grade 9 (ages 14–15) ○ Grade 10 (ages 15–16) ○ Grade 11 (ages 16–17) ○ Grade 12 (ages 17–18)


Grade 12+ (ages 18+) (Ontario only)b College: In Canada, the term college usually refers to a community college or a technical, applied arts, or applied science school. These are post-secondary institutions granting certificates, diplomas, associates degree, and bachelor's degrees.



Tertiary education


○ University: A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is a corporation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education. ○ Graduate school: A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees (i.e. master's degree, Ph.D.)

[edit] Quebec

• • •

garderie (Pre-school); Under 5 maternelle (Kindergarten); 5-6 école primaire (literally Primary school, equivalent to Elementary School or Grade School) ○ Grade 1; 6-7 ○ Grade 2; 7-8 ○ Grade 3; 8-9 ○ Grade 4; 9-10 ○ Grade 5; 10-11 ○ Grade 6; 11-12



école secondaire (literally Secondary school, or High School) ○ Secondary I; 12-13 ○ Secondary II; 13-14 ○ Secondary III; 14-15 ○ Secondary IV; 15-16 ○ Secondary V; 16-17

Secondaries I-V are equivalent to grades 7-11. In most English High Schools, the different terms are used interchangeably. In some English high schools, as well as in most French schools, high school students will refer to secondary 1-5 as year one through five. So if someone in Secondary three is asked "what grade/year are you in?" they will reply "three" or "sec 3," or "grade 9”. It is presumed that the person asking the question knows that they are referring not to "Grade 3" but "Secondary 3". However, this can be confusing for those who are asking the question from outside of Quebec.


College ○ Pre-university program, two years (typically Social Sciences, Natural Sciences or Arts) ○ Professional program, three years (e.g. Paralegal, Dental Hygienist, Nursing, etc.)



University (Usually requires a Diploma of College Studies (DCS (DEC in French)) or equivalent) ○ Undergraduate


Three of four years leading to a Bachelor's degree. Non-Quebec students require an extra year to complete the same degree because of the extra year in college. One or two years leading to a Master's degree. three or more years leading to a Doctoral degree.

○ Graduate (or postgraduate)
 

English schools in Quebec have the same grade system as French schools, but with English names. For example, "elementary school" is not called "école primaire" in an English school, but has the same grading system.

[edit] Grade structure by province

The following table shows how grades are organized in various provinces. Often, there will be exceptions within each province, both with terminology for groups, and which grades apply to each group. Alberta (source) British Columbia (source) Manitoba (source) New Brunswick (source) Newfoundl and and Labrador (source) Northwest Territories (source) Nova Scotia (source) Ontario (source) Elementary Junior High Senior High Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Junior Senior Elementary Secondary Secondary Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Early Junior High High School Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 S1 S2 S3 S4 rten Middle Elementary High School School Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Prima Elementa Junior High Senior High ry ry Kinderga Leve Level Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 rten lI II III Intermedi Junior Primary Senior Secondary ate Secondary Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Elementary Junior High Senior High Primary 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Elementary 8 9 10 11 12 Middle School (In Secondary some areas)

Junior Kinderga Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten rten Intermediate Elementary Senior High School PEI (source) Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Primary School Secondary School College Quebec Maternell Sec Sec Sec Sec seco thir Garderie 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sec V first e I II III IV nd d Elementary Middle Level Secondary Level Saskatche Level wan Kinderga (source) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten Junior Senior Elementary Secondary Secondary Yukon (source) Kinderga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 rten

Notes: • In British Columbia some schools may group together the higher Elementary and lower Secondary Grades. These schools are referred to as Middle Schools or Jr. Secondary Schools. Some Elementary Schools consist solely of grades K-5. Likewise, some Secondary Schools may only have grades 11 and 12. In addition, some school districts may use just elementary (K-7) and secondary (8-12) schools. British Columbia informally subcategorizes the Elementary level into "Primary" (K-3) and "Intermediate" (4-6 or 7), with students often switching elementary schools after grade 3. In Manitoba, 9th grade-12th grade is referred to as Senior 1-Senior 4; In Nova Scotia the terms for groups, and grades they apply to varies significantly throughout the province. A common, but not universal, organization is shown. In Quebec college is two or three years, depending on what a student selects, based usually on what their post-secondary plans are. College in Quebec overlaps what other provinces consider the boundary between secondary education (high school) and post-secondary education (college and university). "Sec I" = "Secondary Year One" = "Grade 7" In Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, schools are now set up as elementary schools with grades K-5, middle schools with grades 6-8, and high schools with grades 9-12. However, high school graduation requirements only include courses taken in grades 10-12.


• •



[edit] Provincial and Territorial Departments and Ministries
Provincial and Territorial Departments and Ministries Provincial Education(Wikipedia) Provincial Department Or Ministry(External Link) Education in Alberta Alberta Education Education in British Columbia Ministry of Education Education in Manitoba Ministry of Education Education in New Brunswick Ministry of Education Education in Newfoundland and Labrador Ministry of Education Education in Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment Education in Nova Scotia Department of Education Education in Nunavut Department of Education Education in Ontario Ministry of Education Education in Prince Edward Island Department of Education Education in Quebec Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport Education in Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Education in Yukon Department of Education, Culture and Employment

The Education System in Canada

The education system in Canada encompasses both publicly-funded and private schools, including: community colleges/ technical institutes, career colleges, language schools, secondary schools, summer camps, universities and university colleges. Education is a provincial responsibility under the Canadian constitution, which means there are significant differences between the education systems of the different provinces. However, education is important to Canadians, and standards across the country are uniformly high. In general, Canadian children attend kindergarten for one or two years at the age of four or five on a voluntary basis. All children begin Grade One at about six years of age. The school year normally runs from September through the following June but in some instances, January intake dates are possible. Secondary schools go up to Grades 11 or 12, 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. The province of Québec has the Cégep system. High Quality Education Education institutions are not officially ranked in Canada, but you will find quality institutions across the country. When choosing your school in Canada, consider the type, size and location of the institution. If you are interested in a particular area of study, investigate

which schools have more to offer in that discipline. More about the Canadian education system Tr ans fer Cr edi Canadian Education System ts Re Ages 3-13 | Ages 3-4 | Ages 4-5 | Ages 5-13 | Ages 11-13 | Ages 14-18 | Ages 18-Adult | & lat Im Re Adult | Language School | Online/Distance ed por co Inf tan gni o t In Canada, education is regulated by each separate provincial tio De government through the individual ministries of education. The n fin ministries of education oversee smaller bodies called boards of of itio education or district school boards (such as the Toronto District Int ns School Board) which oversee the individual schools. ern ati There are 10 provinces and three territories, each with their own way of organizing education, on but there are some generalizations that one can make about Canadian education. al Most children attend publicly-funded schools which are run by the Qu ministries, though some children do attend private schools. These alif private schools are run by independent operators who must conform ica to government guidelines regarding education. tio There are some children who are taught at home by their parentsns or tutors. These children are said to be "home schooled". Which school children attend most often depends on where they live. In the public school system, a certain school services a certain region; all the children who live within that region will attend that school. In some provinces, students from outside a school's region may apply to go to school there. This generally happens when a school has a reputation for excelling in a certain academic area. Students attending a private school may come from many different areas. The schools may have dormitories for out-of-town and overseas students to live in. Nursery school through the end of Grade 8 Ages 3 - 13

The school year in Canada begins in September and ends in June. There are schools that have classes in the summer, but students do not generally attend summer school until they reach secondary or high school. During the summer, some children go to summer camps where they take part in outdoor activities like boating or swimming, arts or drama camps, or camps where they learn about computers. Others go on vacation with their families or visit family members in different parts of the country, or even other countries, on their own. Some children stay in their hometown and attend day camps, play daily with their friends, or go to daycare.

Rarer are the children who attend summer school of some kind, though this does happen. How children this age in Canada get to school depends on where they live. Children who live close enough to the school they are attending may walk to school or be accompanied by an adult as they walk to school. Some older children may ride bikes. Younger children who live further away from school may be picked up by school buses, which are almost always painted yellow, or are driven to school. The government pays for school buses. Older children who live in larger cities may take public transit, like a bus or a subway, to school. Nursery or pre-school Ages 3 - 4

Many children in Canada attend nursery school, which is a kind of cross between a daycare and a school. Children in nursery school may learn basic things about colours, the town in which they live, food and other basic life skills. A great deal of their time is spent playing and doing fun activities. Nursery schools are private schools run by licensed teachers and administrators. Kindergarten Ages 4 - 5

Children ages four to five begin schooling in kindergarten, which is very similar to nursery or pre-school, but with more focus on learning, such as learning letters, numbers and colours, as well as painting and writing skills. Some provinces, such as Ontario, have something called junior kindergarten, which is for younger children ages 3 - 4. In Québec, this level of schooling is called pre-school. Kindergarten is the first step in the public education process. In some provinces it is mandatory for children to attend kindergarten and in others it is not. Kindergarten classes usually take place in what people in Canada call a public or elementary school. A single building may house classes that include kindergarten (referred to as K) through Grade 9 (K - 9). There are other variations, such as kindergarten through Grades 6 or kindergarten through Grade 8, which is the most popular variation. Public or elementary school Ages 5 - 13

After kindergarten, students advance to Grade 1, where they continue to build the basic skills of learning. If they successfully complete a grade, they are advanced to another grade, picking up more and more advanced skills until they reach junior high school

or high school. When a child is six years old, the age at which children usually enter Grade 1, it is mandatory that a child be attending school. When students graduate from public or elementary school, a ceremony is held and students are presented with a diploma. Most often this is held at night so that parents may attend and watch the children receive their diplomas. In Québec, students go to school from preschool (kindergarten) to Grade 7. Junior high school Ages 11 - 13

Sometimes called junior high, junior high schools house students attending Grades 6 - 8 or 6 - 9. This is not very common in Canada, but such schools do exist in larger urban areas.

High school or secondary school Ages 14 - 18

Students in high school arrive at their high schools in a variety of ways. Those close to the school may still walk or ride their bikes to school, while those further away may be driven by friends or family members. In some districts, school buses are still provided for high school students. In large cities, students who do not drive, ride their bikes or walk to school take public transit like subways or buses. It is rare that older students in cities would take school buses. In the country, where there may be towns containing only a couple of hundred or less people, schools are located in a central location. There, students who do not live in the town where the school is located must be driven, drive or take the school bus to school. In some places a student may travel for over an hour to get to school in the morning and over an hour to get home at night. Students in high school begin to decide what they want to do with the rest of their lives. In provinces like Ontario, students enter Grade 9 all together and then split into different areas, or "streams" of education. In Grades 11 and 12, students in Ontario are able to choose from among workplace preparation, university/college preparation, college preparation, and university preparation courses. Students in almost all provinces and territories must attend school until they are 16, the typical age of a student in Grade 11, though most continue until they graduate. Students advance through the grades until they reach Grade 12, where, if they successfully complete all criteria, they graduate. Again a graduation ceremony is held and parents attend to see them receive a diploma. In Ontario, students who wanted to go to university used to have to take special courses after Grade 12 called OACs or Ontario Academic Credits. This was done away with in 2003. In Québec, students enter high school when they are 12, and go through five years of grades, called high school 1 - 5. In Manitoba, students progress through Senior 1 - 4.

University, College, University College, Career College (Post-secondary School) Ages 18 - Adult

In Canada there is a division between where you would go to school to prepare yourself for certain types of work when choosing between university and college, though the line between the two are starting to blur. It used to be that if you wanted to become an electrician, a police officer or a plumber, or take on some other kind of hands-on trade or career, you would attend a college to receive a diploma. If you wanted to become a professional, such as a doctor, lawyer or teacher, you would attend a university to attain a degree. Those same basic rules still apply, but many people in areas traditionally reserved for university graduates, such as business, are starting to obtain those positions with the help of college degrees. Colleges are handing out degrees and universities are handing out diplomas. Some schools have been specially formed to give students the opportunity to graduate with both a degree and a diploma. In Québec, the situation is a little different. After high school, students can choose to go to a special school called a cégep. This is similar to a college in the rest of Canada, where a student might get a diploma to be a dental assistant or a cartographer. The difference is that if a Québec student wants to go to university, they must attend at least two years of school at a cégep. Graduate school Adult

Most students, after completing university or college, proceed to the working world. They might take a year off to travel, but generally, they start to look for jobs or work in their fields. Some students go on to more schooling. When people in Canada talk about graduate school, they are referring to degrees that only students who have completed a bachelor degree can take. The first level of degree after a bachelor is a master's degree. An example of this would be a master's of business administration or MBA. The next level would be a doctorate degree, or a Ph.D. Language School

In Canada there are many language schools which specialize in teaching people English or French as a second language. There are two reasons for this. The first is that Canada is a country with an immigration rate that is higher than its birth rate. Many people arrive in Canada and need to improve their English or French skills.

The second reason that there are many language schools in Canada is because Canada is an English-speaking country considered to be safe and with a relatively low-cost of living compared to other industrialized English-speaking countries.

Sponsor Documents

Or use your account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Forgot your password?

Or register your new account on DocShare.tips

Hide

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Back to log-in

Close