ENGLAND’S GRAMMAR-SCHOOL SYSTEM EXPLAINED
NORTH AMERICA
C
anada’s young people rank among the world’s top- performing school students, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an evaluation by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of the skills and knowledge of half a million 15-year-olds across 65 countries and economies.
Only nine countries and economies performed better than Canada in mathematics, only four in reading, and only seven in science. It is surprising, then, to learn that Canada’s education system has no overarching federal department and differs across the regions.
According to the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), in the 13 jurisdictions (ten provinces and three territories), the local departments or ministries of education are directly responsible for the organisation, delivery, and assessment of education at elementary and secondary level.
“For families relocating to Canada, one of the first things to remember is that there is no national curriculum to which all provinces and districts must adhere,” says Elizabeth Sawyer, CEO of Bennett Schoolplacement Worldwide. “Education varies from province to province and from district to district.”
LANGUAGE ISSUES
There are, of course, many similarities in the education systems across Canada, but the significant differences in curriculum and assessment will need to be examined carefully
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by parents looking for a place in the country’s state-funded education system, to ensure that the school they choose meets the immediate needs of their child.
Language issues could be one of the barriers to learning in the first instance. “For example”, says Elizabeth Sawyer, “witness the fact that, in Montreal, the language of instruction is typically French (with some limited exceptions), whereas English tends to dominate in most other parts of the country. Canada is an officially bilingual country, and parents have the right, in all provinces and territories, to choose between public education in either French or English.
“In Quebec, French schools will be the norm, though English-medium and bilingual schools do exist and can be an option for non-French-speakers.”
While the systems of education may differ greatly across the jurisdictions, explains Ms Sawyer, it is the equitable funding of public (that is, state-funded) schools that has led to the even spread of educational performance in Canada, making this type of education a very realistic option for relocating families. “Public schools are funded more equally, and the gap
between higher-performing and lesser-performing districts is generally less dramatic than it is in the US,” she says. “Indeed, it has been argued that the more equitable funding of schools in Canada, in addition to other basic services, such as healthcare, has led to a system in which academic achievement is more evenly spread across social classes.
“In Canada, the vast majority of people use public, rather than private, education.”
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