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Kindergarten to University: What’s the secret of Canada’s education system?
The Canadian education system is open, funded and regulated by federal, provincial and territorial governments. The supervision of education mainly falls at the provincial level, which naturally leads to differences in textbooks from place to place. Overall, education in Canada can be divided into primary education, subsequent secondary education and higher education, and there are both English and French options in many parts of Canada.
According to a 2022 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canada has become the most educated country in the world, with 57% of adults receiving higher education.
In terms of higher education, Canada has many universities, almost all of which are supported by public funds. Founded in 1663, Laval University is the oldest institution of higher education in Canada, while the University of Toronto is the largest in terms of student population, with over 85,000 students. Recently, four universities (University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McGill University and McMaster University) have been regularly ranked among the top 100 universities in the world.
In addition, Canada's investment in education is also considerable, accounting for about 5.3% of its GDP. This investment brings the cost of an undergraduate education to more than $20,000. A recent report shows that by 2022, about 89% of adults aged 25 to 64 will have an academic qualification equivalent to a high school diploma, far exceeding the OECD average of 75%.
In addition, the school's English and French education options make it possible to develop a comprehensive bilingual education.
Educational Structure and Assessment Bodies
In Canada, responsibility for education lies primarily with provincial governments, so there are significant differences in education systems and management styles across provinces. The federal government's educational responsibilities are primarily limited to areas such as the military academies, the Coast Guard Academy, and funding the education of indigenous peoples. This has led to a diversity of education systems across provinces.
According to the report, about 8.5% of men and 5.4% of women between the ages of 25 and 34 have less than a high school diploma. As the labor market changes, the demand for high school diplomas is growing rapidly, with more and more jobs requiring job seekers to hold a high school diploma or college degree.
According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Canadian students perform well above the OECD average in mathematics, science and reading.
Religious and linguistic divides
The Canadian Constitution provides protection for certain types of publicly funded religious and language school systems. The branch school programs offered by some provinces show that education in Canada is not limited to public schools but also includes some language and religious options. For example, the city of Toronto has four public school boards, two English-speaking school boards and two French-speaking school boards, reflecting language diversity in education.
Most public elementary and secondary education programs usually begin in kindergarten and end in twelfth grade. The school year structure and duration vary from province to province, but most public schools start in kindergarten (usually age five) and end in grade 12 (around age seventeen). Students in some provinces, such as Ontario and Quebec, can choose to extend their secondary school study period.
Quality and challenges of education
Canada is constantly reflecting and criticizing on the quality of education. Some people believe that the current educational environment focuses too much on academic performance and neglects how to cultivate students' independent and critical thinking abilities. Social promotion policies, grade inflation, unequal quality standards in the system have become sources of stress in the current education system.
Even so, Canada is still well-known in the world for its high-quality education system, especially in international academic rankings, where it often ranks among the best. This makes us wonder what the future of Canadian education will be like and whether it can maintain its outstanding status amid trials and challenges.
