Secondary education in Canada today is one of the most high-quality and popular in the world, combining the centuries-old traditions of European education and practicality of North America, comfortable accommodation and studying conditions. In addition, the Canadian education is widely used achievements of modern science and technology - the latest generation of computers, digital technology. Learn about the specifics of secondary education in Canada for your child right now!
Secondary education in Canada is one of those entities that are very highly valued all over the world and have a well-deserved recognition. I must say that in Canada, much attention is paid to the development of schools, and the country holds a leading position in the world in terms of investment by the state. In addition, Canada is a very advanced modern country with a loyal migration policy, a warm and friendly atmosphere, a favorable climate and clean air, therefore, secondary education in Canada is so spread among students from all over the world. Finally, not the last place is occupied by a relatively small price of secondary education, given the high quality of the knowledge provided.
One of the main features of obtaining secondary education in Canada is the fact that in Canada the official languages are officially French and English. The country is secretly divided into two parts - English and French, and therefore the educational institution in Canada must be chosen in view of this circumstance. However, in most schools teachers teach students in both English and French - this is better to clarify in the case of each particular school.
The population of Canada is very friendly towards foreign students, so parents can be completely calm for the safety of their child. In private boarding schools, teaching staff not only provides modern and quality education, but also ensures the safety of children who live on the territory of a boarding school or in a trusted host family where they are given the necessary care.
The main advantages of obtaining a secondary education in Canada:
- First of all, it is necessary to remember that the certificate of complete secondary education, obtained in any educational institution in Canada, is very in demand and is accepted in most prestigious universities of the world.
- It is also important that the price of obtaining secondary education in private and boarding schools in Canada relative to the United Kingdom, the USA and some other countries is lower with practically the same quality of education and the conditions for the placement of students.
- Canada is characterized by a fairly loyal migration policy, which allows virtually all willing students to settle here for life, and a strong and strong economy provides great opportunities in business.
- In the field of education in Canada, the latest achievements of science and technology are widely used, and the education sector itself receives large amounts of state investment, which allows the education received in this country to occupy the leading places in the world in efficiency and quality.
- A favourable climate, both natural and in terms of the attitude of Canadians towards foreign students.
- In private Canadian boarding schools, the teaching staff pay special attention to fostering in students such important features as independence and responsibility for their words and actions, which makes it easier for them to get used to university life afterwards.
- In addition, in schools a huge emphasis is put on engaging in some kind of sport, especially hockey - the national sport in Canada.
- As in the UK (and Canada is the former colony of the once powerful British Empire), Canada has joint educational institutions, as well as boarding schools that accept either boys or girls. And in those and other educational institutions there are advantages and disadvantages, so parents need to seriously think about whether their child needs to communicate only with peers of their own sex or else with the opposite, and also decide which educational institution will allow their child to reach the greatest results in the development of their own skills and abilities.
Specific features of secondary education in Canada
The system of secondary education in Canada consists of three levels, divided into 11-12 classes. It is important to note that different provinces have their own structure of education, according to which the number of classes can vary. As a general rule, the education system of any province has a similar structure: primary, secondary and higher. Within the framework of this article, SMAPSE experts will only consider secondary education.
So, secondary education in Canada covers classes either from 7 to 12 (children aged 12 to 18 are studying), or from 9 to 13 (children aged 14 to 18 are studying). Schools in Canada are called high schools, while middle schools in Canada are the second level of primary school. The academic year in the Canadian educational institutions begins in September and lasts until May, while the usual school quarters are not provided for here - instead the year is divided into two semesters (five to six months).
In high school in Canada, students more than usually study elective disciplines, which they choose on the basis of the desired specialization at the university in the future. In addition, there is an opportunity to study in some of the more complex and advanced disciplines (the Advanced Placement Program). The successful completion of such an in-depth program will allow students to subsequently gain some advantage when enrolling in the vast majority of higher education institutions in Canada, the United Kingdom, the the USA, etc. The so-called "program of increased complexity" was developed by heads of leading educational institutions in the USA and Canada in the middle of the past century. This program includes more than thirty disciplines, which are studied in depth by students as it happens in the first year of the university.
The more subjects of increased complexity the institution offers, the higher its academic level, prestige and relevance, the higher the certificate of the end of this institution on the world education market is quoted.
Private secondary schools in Canada provide students with enormous opportunities for sports and creativity. The equipment of sports halls corresponds to modern high world standards, educational institutions have stadiums for hockey and other sports (school teams are constantly participating in various regional and national school championships), swimming pools, courts and others. As for creative circles, students can be engaged in drawing, sculpture, modeling, photography and video shooting, music, theater and dancing and many others.
Canadian institutions have an unrivaled technical base: Canada has the world's leading positions in the number of computers and other technical devices used in the learning process. During the first few academic years, students are engaged exclusively in the main disciplines, although it is often permissible to take several subjects of choice. As they approach the graduation class, students are increasingly engaged in the disciplines they choose, which will subsequently help them to successfully get higher education. A certificate of full secondary education in each state is established independently, but a common feature for all educational institutions of the middle level is that to obtain this certificate you need to recruit a certain number of credits - points that are awarded for the successful completion of the disciplines.
At the same time, there is a total number of necessary credits, which consists of loans that students must earn for compulsory disciplines and for subjects of choice. An important condition is also the obligatory, but voluntary work of a volunteer in libraries, hospitals, etc.
Students perform frequent written tests. In one discipline, such work is planned several times a semester, for others - once at the end of the school year. As for the exams, they are mostly given in writing: in the role of the exam, either testing or essays can be performed. If the student has chosen any additional subject from the field of creativity, then at the end of the training he must perform a certain creative task, depending on the type of creative activity. The final score for each discipline consists of several parts: scores for written assignments per semester, for an individual project, for passing the exam. The estimates themselves, as in the whole Western world of education, are exhibited only in percentages, which sometimes have an alphabetic appearance (from A to F). For example, from 90 to 100% - this is an "excellent" score, from 70% to 89% is a "four". At the end of the school year, all the grades obtained are summarized, and the average score is calculated. In order not to stay in the second year, you need to recruit at least 50%. There is also an incentive system: if the average score is high (from 80%), then the student can be exempted from the exam.
Graduation age in secondary schools in Canada ranges from 18 to 19 years. After graduating from high school graduates enter higher education institutions of Canada, Great Britain, the USA and other states. It is worth noting that private schools with boarding in Canada provide students with education on the topic of admission to universities , invite representatives of famous and prestigious institutions of higher education. In addition, the specificity of teaching has a positive effect on the abilities of students:
- Students during their studies in private medium-sized boarding schools become independent: this is facilitated, for example, by personal assignments, which each student performs independently from start to finish, presenting the whole project in the form of a presentation to classmates.
- In the final year, teachers place a significant emphasis on the specifics of the admission process to higher education institutions. In private boarding schools, students have the opportunity to talk with a professional counselor about further plans in school and life, to consult, etc. As a result, the process of entering a university does not seem so complicated.
Features of school life in best schools in Canada
Each institution in Canada develops its own set of rules for students' behaviour on the school grounds - the severity and rigidity of these rules depends both on the province and on the prestige of the institution. The general rules for the vast majority of schools are the following:
- Strict ban on smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs
- Prohibition of copying during exams
- Strict prohibition of violation of the academic discipline
- Prohibition of aggression towards other students
Violation of these and other rules of the educational institution may lead to sanctions from warning to deduction. In Canada's most prestigious and elite teaching institutions, it is planned to wear a school uniform.
A distinctive feature of Canadian educational institutions is that teachers on a regular basis compile a report on the progress and discipline of the child and send it to the student's parents. In addition, for the safety of the child can not survive - on the territory of educational institutions operates round the clock security, and independently leave the school without the accompaniment of adults is prohibited.
How to choose a high school in Canada?
If you decide to send your child to study at a secondary school in Canada, you should start the process of finding and choosing an educational institution in advance (at least one year before the planned start of education), as the process of selecting, collecting the necessary documents, admission can take a long time .
As in all Western countries, there are state educational institutions and private boarding schools in Canada, and there are more government institutions. Similar schools receive funding from the government and take on the education of boys and girls - the children of Canadians, or those who have a residence permit or permanent job in Canada. However, many educational institutions organize specialized programs for foreign students, which include residence of the latter in the host Canadian family, in-depth studies of a foreign language (usually English, although there are schools with French), as well as assistance and support for those students who subsequently would like to enter a Canadian higher education institution.
Less than 10% of all Canadian students are studying in private schools. Private schools offer the following benefits for students compared to public schools:
- A smaller number of students in classes, which makes it possible to achieve greater educational efficiency;
- Private schools in addition to host families offer accommodation in student hostels - students live and study on the campus of the school.
- As a rule, private initiatives make it possible to achieve better conditions for education - private bording has more developed infrastructure, both academic and sports (in some there is even a private swimming pool and a stadium).
- An opportunity to study in schools that accept for training either boys or girls only.
- Graduates of Canada's most prestigious and leading private boarding schools subsequently easily enter elite institutions of higher education, not only in Canada, but all over the world.
Features of admission to high school in Canada
First of all, to successfully enter any medium-level educational institution in Canada, it is necessary to pass a test on the level of Englis proficiency, as well as an examination in basic disciplines. However, you must first fill out all the necessary documents for admission, provide a report card with grades for the last couple of years of schooling at a school, as well as letters of recommendation from teachers or the principal. All documents must be translated and notarized.
In order to study at an educational institution in Canada, a student is required by law to have a guardian, a citizen of the country, taking full responsibility for the child and acting as parents abroad. The guardian (or the parents themselves) fill out the questionnaire with the child. When you initiate the enrollment process in each of Canada's secondary schools, you must pay a registration non-refundable contribution (up to 200 Canadian dollars). After the approval of all documents, the student is invited to an interview with the director of an educational institution in Canada, but it can also take place in the form of a telephone conversation or a conversation on Skype. After all the formalities, it remains only to wait for a positive decision on enrollment, and then it is already necessary to do the registration of the student visa.
Features of staying in high schools in Canada
Private schools in Canada provide their students with comfortable and spacious student dormitories, where students live 1-2 people in rooms equipped with everything necessary for study and life. In addition to students in dormitories, there are also teachers and other employees of the educational institution who are at any time ready to help the children in solving any domestic and academic issues.
Tuition fees in high school in Canada
The cost of secondary education in Canada directly depends on several factors:
- The prestige of an educational institution;
- Type of accommodation;
- Nutrition students (usually full board);
- Registration fee when submitting documents for admission;
- Textbooks and school uniform;
- Cultural and entertainment program (can be included in the price - it is necessary to specify), etc.
In general terms, the price of secondary education in private schools in Canada can be from 12,000 CAD to 70,000 CAD for 1 academic year. In addition, the cost of accommodation is paid - about 11,000 CAD per academic year.
