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'Bold text  Developments in Canada Education System

Preparing the youths for next generation’s workforce is an important aspect of school curricula all over the world. This is emphasized in the 21st Century Skills wherein the focus of education centers on the integration of learning, literacy, and social skills into the teaching of core academic subjects worldwide. This set of skills and knowledge is viewed as necessary to prepare the young generation so they will succeed in their future career and become productive citizens of the society they live in (Explore SEL, n.d.).

Canada also viewed education in terms of its impact on the society. The country’s history shows how official policies shaped and supervised the growth of formal instructions at schools based on the changing nature of children and their respective families, the people’s behavior, and the introduction of the wage-labor economy. However, its development is reflected in various ways and distinctions depending on the experiences of people in different provinces and territories (Gaffield, 2015). Geographic Description Canada, a country in North America with a Gross Domestic Product of 1990.76 billion US dollars (World Bank, 2021), is a vast and rugged land that spans more than half the Northern Hemisphere (from north to south). It stretches almost 7,560 kilometers across six time zones (from east to west). It is the second largest country in the world, which features black-blue lakes, numerous rivers, majestic western mountains, rolling central plains, and forested eastern valleys. The Canadian Shield, a hilly region of lakes and swamps, stretches across northern Canada and has some of the oldest rocks on Earth.

Population As of November 19, 2022, Canada’s current population is 38,528,259 or about .48% of the total world population (Worldometer, 2022). In recent years, Canada has allowed the influx of immigrants from different parts of the world. The country has welcomed 492,984 immigrants in 2021/2022. While Canada’s fertility rate is 1.53 births per woman, below the population replacement rate, the population continues to grow as migration plays an increasing role in the population. Canada’s net migration rate is 6.375 per 1,000 people, the eighth-highest in the world.



Figure 1 '''Note. An overview of Canada’s education system from Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC).'''

Canada’s Education Systems Canada is considered as one of the most educated countries in the world as it spends more on education compared to other countries (OECD, 2017). It is also home to some of the top universities in the world. However, understanding Canada’s Education System requires knowledge of the country’s 10 provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan) and three territories (Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories) as some aspects of the system may vary from one province to another. This is clearly indicated in Figure 1, a diagram that shows three different pathways.

Public and private education are both available at the three main levels – primary, secondary, and post-secondary. Normally, the school year opens in September and ends in June for elementary and high school. The country’s public education is well-funded by and under the jurisdiction of the provincial or territorial governments.

Grade levels are considered part of public education system. Children in Canada attend kindergarten for a year or two at the age of four or five by choice. School then becomes mandatory as of grade one, which tends to be at the age of six years old. Schools go up to either Grade 11 or 12 (depending on the province), generally until the age of 16 years old. However, in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, and Ontario, education is compulsory for people up to 18 years of age (CICIC, n.d.).

From Kindergarten (Grade 1) to Grade 8, children (aged 6 to 14) study in primary or elementary school while secondary or high school is from Grades 9 to 12 (for 14- to 18-year-olds). The province of Ontario has Grade 12+. Students in Quebec attend high school up to the age of 16 and proceed to CEGEP (or DCS) studies. CEGEP is a two-year free college education that offers either a vocational course or university preparation diploma (CICIC, n.d.).

Post-secondary schooling, meanwhile, is offered through the country’s wide network of colleges and universities.

Canada’s tertiary education has been recognized worldwide for its contributions to research. It is also known for honing a skilled workforce that ensures better labor-market results. The country boasts a high attainment in tertiary education. However, the ageing population and the rapid changing knowledge-based economy requires expansion in participation rates to ensure there is enough supply of highly skilled workforce. For this reason, the federal government encourages people from disadvantaged socio-economic groups to access tertiary education. The education system also allows flexibility of movement between institutions to students with diverse needs (Cheung, Guillemete & Mobasher-Fard, 2012).

Canada has also tapped immigration as source of skills as it believes in skills innovation development and the integration of practical industry experience within higher education programs and business, communication skills, and technical trainings (OECD, 2012). All public schools in Canada are provincially accredited, follow a standard curriculum, employ only government certified teachers and are publicly funded. The country’s education standards is high as it is supervised by the federal government. No. of Children Attending Public Education The latest statistics available on the number of enrollment in public elementary and secondary in Canada is from 2019/20. According to Statista Research (2021), a total of around 4.98 million students were enrolled in public schools in the country.

Medium of Instruction Canada has two official languages – English and French. Students are not required to be fluent in both languages to attend schools at any level. The main language of instruction in most schools across the country is English. However, in the province of Quebec, most schools use French until the end of high school.

Budget for Education The federal government provides funding for schools on reserve. At present, Canada has 518 First nations reserve schools. Provinces or territories, meanwhile, fund off-reserve public schools. Shares of public funding for private schools, on the other hand, varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some schools get full or partial funding while others get no funding at all.

In 2019, Canada spent USD$22,335 per student in tertiary education. This put Canada as no. 6 in world ranking of countries that allocated more budget in education. The country has also used 53.7% of the education budget to fund public tertiary education while the remaining 46.3% went to private education system. Overall, Canada’s public spending for primary to post-secondary education (non-tertiary) and tertiary education was 3.2% and 1.2% of the GDP, respectively, in the same year (OECD, 2022).

Other sources of education in country outside of Public Education There are about 1,700 private and independent schools that offer customized educational pathways for Grades 1-12. Postsecondary education, on the other hand, is available in both government-supported and private institutions, which offer degrees, diplomas, certificates, and attestations depending on the nature of the institution and the length of the program. However, universities are no longer the only degree-granting institutions in some provinces. A recognized postsecondary institution is a private or public institution that has been given full authority to grant degrees, diplomas, and other credentials by a public or private act of the provincial or territorial legislature or through a government-mandated quality assurance mechanism (OECD, 2017).

How is Public Education Governed? Public education is funded and overseen by provincial, territorial and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. The departments or ministries of education are responsible for the organization, delivery, and assessment of education at the elementary and secondary levels, for technical and vocational education, and for postsecondary education (CICIC, n.d.).

An Education Superpower Canada is also considered as an education superpower given its record of having the highest proportion (55%) of working-age adults who attended tertiary education education (OECD, 2017). In an article, Coughlan (2017) emphasized that teenagers in Canada are among the best educated in the world. He also highlighted the role of migrant students in its school population.

Political and Economic Perspective Canada’s education can be viewed from a political and economic perspective. The country’s mandatory basic education can be considered as a social intervention that ensures the readiness of schools, equal opportunities even to students with diverse needs, and the promotion of social justice (Woodhead, 2016).

Social and Cultural Perspective The education system of Canada can also be studied from a social and cultural perspective as well as it recognizes the socio-cultural dimensions of education and acknowledges diversity in culture and society. The nurturance of students is an intrinsic part of the development process and Canada’s compulsory education ensures that children participate in those process from the start making it a social cultural process (Woodhead, 2016).

Conclusion The Canadian education has evolved as a result of socio-cultural and political practices, the changes in childhood and family concepts, the organization of social institutions, and the emergence of labor-market economy. Today, the country boasts of an excellent education system funded by taxes and supervised by the state. A system that is viewed as having a great impact on society and symbolizing good governance (Gaffield, 2015).