The Canadian education system for new immigrants is often times considered an excellent choice. This is significantly due to its global reputation of being the third-best in terms of education. Moreover, further analysis of the statistics claims that Canada spends six percent of its GDP on education. Comparatively, this is way more than other countries’ average education spending.
It is evident from specific facts that Canada prioritizes education. For instance, 91 percent of adults possess a high-school diploma between the age group of 25 and 64 years. Another 68 percent are holders of some level of post-secondary education.
The Canadian education system for new immigrants- a brief
Public and private educational systems coexist in Canada. From pre-kindergarten to post-secondary education, the Canadian government finances public education.
In Canada, there is a provincially-determined age for obligatory education, meaning that kids must attend school between particular ages. Kindergarten is a choice in a few provinces. Children between the ages of seven and 16 must attend school, nevertheless, and this is a requirement in every province. The age of obligatory education is 18 in Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories, and Manitoba.
Canada’s Education levels
The Canadian education system for new immigrants can be put in a nutshell through its three primary levels, based on either private or public systems. The three chief education levels include Primary, Secondary, and Post-Secondary.
Primary education also implies Elementary education and is prevalent from Kindergarten level or Grade 1 and finally reaches Grade 8. This is relevant from 13 to 14 years.
Typically, the academic year lasts from September to June.
Grade 9 (age group between 14 and 15) through Grade 12 comprise secondary education, also referred to as high school (ages 17 to 18). Students in Quebec attend high school until they are sixteen. Students can then proceed to CEGEP, a two-year institution where students can earn either a vocational diploma or a diploma for university preparation.
Canada has a vast post-secondary education system, which includes colleges and universities. In both metropolitan and rural places across the nation, there are numerous universities offering programs that are well-regarded abroad. The college or university year typically consists of two semesters or terms and lasts from September to April or May. Typically, they begin a post-secondary education in September.
The Canadian education system for new immigrants- French and English Education
International students in Canada have the chance to study either in French or English. However, a few educational institutions have both these languages as their medium of instruction. Also, students don’t require fluency in French and English altogether. This applies to all levels of education in Canada if students seek to study in Canadian schools. Throughout Canada, English is the primary language for education; however, French is widely spoken nationwide. Irrespective of Canada’s dominant language, English or French needs to be taught when students are younger.
Looking at Quebec, the language of instruction significantly differs here. This province requires students to learn French and use it until high school. However, they still might be eligible to use the English language in the following cases:
- In Canada, the mother or father of a child pursued rudimentary English studies;
- If either the child’s mother or father is a citizen of Canada, the child or a child’s sibling(s) have completed the majority of their elementary or secondary schooling in English in Canada;
- Suppose a parent is a Canadian citizen and the parent of the child attended school in Quebec after August 26th, 1977. In that case, they may have been declared eligible for English instruction at that time.
According to the usual standards, when new immigrants arrive in Canada and think of permanently residing in Quebec, their children require to learn French during public school. Even though private schooling options exist for those seeking to study English. Additionally, those students who have their parents temporarily living in Quebec via a study or work permit have the chance to study in English.
The Canadian education system and education across the globe
Canada is counted as one of the nations with the highest levels of educational attainment. The country is proudly home to some of the world’s best universities.
The Program for International Student Assessment of the OECD assesses 15-year-olds’ capacity to apply their knowledge and skills in reading, maths, and science to tackle real-world problems.
PISA displayed the outcomes of their examinations in 2018. Moreover, Canadian students attained high average test scores across the board. The average subject results for Canada were close to or over the 90th percentile across all participating countries. This is evident from the country’s ranking as it positioned 6th in reading, 8th in science, and 12th in math among the 78 countries that participated.
