A comprehensive analysis of immigrants: Canada's education system

A comprehensive analysis of immigrants: Canada's education system

There is a considerable gap between Canada's education system and Asian countries and regions. The Canadian government stipulates that all minors between the ages of 6 and 16 must receive education. After completing this period of education, it is equivalent to graduating from middle school, which is compulsory education. In other words, during this period, students who are residents or citizens do not have to pay tuition fees, and the miscellaneous fees collected are also very cheap.

Children can sign up for primary school at the age of six. The school year is from September to June. Primary schools are in grades one to seven respectively. In primary school, the school not only teaches in class, but also attaches great importance to social education and heuristic education, such as organizing students to visit museums, libraries, sports activities, newspapers and so on. Pupils' homework is done at school. As Canada is a bilingual country, both English and French are official languages. In ordinary primary schools, students learn French from the fourth grade.

Middle school begins in the eighth grade and ends in the twelfth grade. Some campuses adopt a five-year middle school system, while others divide middle schools into three-year junior high schools (grades 8 to 10) and two-year senior high schools (grades 1 1 to 12), but their courses and total study years are exactly the same. The grades in grades 11 and 12 are used as the evaluation criteria for entering the university.

When students enter the eighth grade, the school is equipped with special counselors, who will guide students to choose which courses are most suitable for them according to the records of student files in recent years. Therefore, students can choose different subjects according to their hobbies under the guidance of counselors, which is very flexible. They can take different subjects within a year, or they can take different classes at the same time within a year. For example, eighth-grade students can choose subjects for ninth-grade students.

During middle school, students' grades are calculated according to credits. During the four years from grade 9 to grade 12, each student must complete 30 credits before graduation. How are the credits calculated? After completing a subject 1 10 hours, you can get 1 credit by passing the test. If you want to graduate, some of the 30 credits must be completed. For example, you need to get 5 credits in English or French (some schools in Canada use French as their first language).

Canadian middle school students do not need to take special exams to enter universities. As long as students complete the necessary credits during high school and pass graduation, they can apply for further study in universities. This application can be submitted with the assistance of secondary schools (some provinces stipulate that you must apply in person). In the application, in addition to filling in the course scores, you also need to choose a suitable school according to your hobbies and learning situation. In these aspects, school counselors will help students make appropriate choices according to the actual situation of each student.

For students whose mother tongue is not English, it is necessary to take the TOEFL if they want to continue their studies in Canadian universities. And the better the university, the higher the requirements for TOEFL scores. According to the current standards, an applicant must have a TOEFL score of at least 600 to apply for a first-class university in Canada, and the TOEFL score in some subjects is higher.

In the past, international students studying in Canada with student visas were not allowed to work, but now it is stipulated that college students and undergraduates with student visas can apply for working in schools. And the federal government has promulgated a new bill: all international students studying in Canadian colleges or universities can work in Canada for one year after graduation. These students are qualified at school. You can find a job by yourself after graduation, or you can ask the school to help them find it. Every school has a special team to help them. During this year, students can apply for a work visa with the certificates issued by the graduate school and the company they employ.

12 Canadian secondary school graduates can directly apply to enter the university, and there is no university entrance examination system. In Quebec, students need to complete the grade of 1 1, and then transfer to the college of general and vocational education in the province for one or two years before entering the university.

There are ten levels in the structure of higher education: doctor's degree, master's degree, master's degree, license (referring to the qualified practice certificate of lawyers or doctors), postgraduate diploma, bachelor's degree, university diploma, specialist certificate, graduation certificate and certificate. A general bachelor's degree usually lasts for 3 years. An honorary bachelor's degree usually lasts for 4 years.

Most universities in Canada adopt the credit system. On the basis of obtaining an ordinary bachelor's degree, you can get a master's degree only after studying for another two years and reaching 60-70 points. The Bachelor of Honours only takes one year. If you apply for a doctoral program, you must get 70-80 points or above in the bachelor's program. Those who have completed the master's program are also eligible to apply, and the study period is generally 3 years.

Full-time colleges and universities have two semesters each year, from September to 65438+February as the autumn semester and from June to April as the spring semester. ***8 months, some universities are divided into three semesters. In addition to universities, there are more than 250 community colleges in Canada, whose teaching contents are mainly applied, such as professional training in fine arts, engineering and business. The general term is 1 to 3 years. These colleges only issue certificates or diplomas, not bachelor degrees, but they can choose some courses that can be transferred to universities for further study in the future. Study duration 1 to 2 years, equivalent to freshman or sophomore. After studying, they will transfer to the second or third year of regular universities to continue their undergraduate courses, so most international students are willing to attend these schools.

higher education

There are two kinds of higher education institutions in Canada: community colleges and universities. The former does not confer degrees, while the latter can confer degrees. The preparatory course in Quebec is also a community college.

community college

The curriculum of community college is different from the traditional university curriculum. Mainly provide semi-professional or technical and vocational courses. Graduates can get diplomas.

There are 198 community colleges in Canada. The purpose of its establishment is that education should be enjoyed by all sectors of society. Therefore, its admission criteria are usually flexible. Applicants must generally graduate from high school, but adult students are exempt from this requirement. Tuition is much lower than that of regular universities. In Quebec, tuition for full-time students is free.

Most community colleges are open all year round, offering three semesters throughout the year, with full-time or half-time courses both inside and outside the school. Each course lasts at least one year, but usually lasts two to three years, and sometimes there are four years of courses. Many credits can be converted into college credits.

Second University

(1) University Management

Institutions of higher learning eligible for conferring degrees are generally called universities. There are eighty-eight universities in Canada, all of which are public.

Although the admission standards of each university are different, the standards of universities in the same province are generally the same, especially the science and liberal arts of universities. Any high school graduate with 12 years education can apply to enter the university. Quebec requires two years of preparatory courses, plus 1 1 year of secondary education. For adult students, most universities will relax the rules.

The tuition fees of universities in different provinces vary greatly. Foreign students pay high tuition fees.

Universities issue two kinds of qualification certificates-degrees and diplomas. College courses are usually three to five years, and graduate students are uncertain. Only students who have obtained an honorary bachelor's degree can apply for postgraduate study. Postgraduates can be divided into masters and doctors.

University and management are usually divided into two parts. Some are academic supervisory committees composed of non-academic personnel, and some are upper houses composed of academic personnel. The most common form of organization is divided by departments, and each department is managed by the head of the department, and then divided into specialties below the department.

During the period of 1995-96, there were about 583,328 full-time college students and 268,778 part-time college students in Canada.

(2) Canadian universities

Canadian colleges and universities are subject to strict supervision, evaluation and review by the government and provide high-level education. Canadian universities also enjoy a high reputation in the world.

Various educational institutions in Canada

general education

(1) Public schools and missionary schools

In Canada, public schools and missionary schools usually receive financial support from the government.

The so-called public schools are established and managed by local educational institutions according to the education law or school law of the province.

Some provinces provide tax support for religious schools on the basis of religious division. Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and the northwest of Alberta all support public schools and missionary schools. Generally speaking, people classify missionary schools as Catholic schools.

In Quebec, missionary schools are divided into Catholic and Protestant school committees. At present, the provincial government has plans to divide school committees according to language rather than religion.

(2) Early childhood education

In most provinces and regions of Canada, there are two sets of government-funded voluntary preschool education systems: one is a five-year kindergarten run by the school board, and the other is a nursery licensed by the provincial government. Only Prince Edward Island in China has no five-year kindergarten system. Kindergarten education is not compulsory, but most Canadian children attend kindergarten.

(3) Primary schools

Primary school usually refers to the first or eighth grade education, and students are usually five to thirteen years old. However, the transition from primary school to secondary school is different in different provinces. Some school committees divide primary and secondary education into: kindergarten to sixth grade is the first stage; The seventh to ninth grades are junior high schools; The tenth to twelfth grades are high schools.

Most schools are coeducational. The average number of students in a primary school is 170, while only 17% of primary schools in Canada have more than 400 students.

Primary school curriculum covers a wide range, focusing on reading, writing and mathematics, followed by science, liberal arts, health education, music and art.

(4) High school

High schools are usually divided into two types, one is ordinary high schools and the other is vocational high schools. Most high schools offer these two courses.

Quebec's system is special. Middle schools in this province have a five-year program (grade 7 to 1 1 grade), followed by a two-year or three-year pre-university course, referred to as CEGEP. Two-year CEGEP graduates usually study ordinary high school courses and prepare to enter the university; Three-year CEGEP graduates usually take vocational courses and enter the job market directly after graduation.

High school graduates can enter the job market, vocational schools, community colleges or universities.

(5) Private schools

Although private schools are independent of the public system, they must still provide courses that meet the requirements of the Ministry of Education of the provincial government. Usually, they follow the curriculum and graduation requirements of the Ministry of Education of the province and issue graduation certificates.

Since private schools do not enjoy the same government subsidies as public schools, they all charge tuition fees. For low-income families, they usually have scholarships or tuition remission. Alberta, British Columbia, Minneapolis, Quebec and Saskatchewan all subsidize private schools to some extent.

(6) Correspondence education

Correspondence education mainly meets the needs of students that traditional classroom education cannot meet. These students usually live in remote areas, small villages or have disabilities.

In the past, correspondence education was usually conducted by mail. Now, to a great extent, ties, telecommunications and electronic means. Correspondence courses include primary and secondary school and university courses as well as vocational training courses.

Correspondence education also belongs to the scope of the provincial government.

special needs education

The targets of special education are: physically disabled, learning disabled, mentally ill and mentally retarded. Gifted students are also the targets of special education.

In recent years, the trend is to try to integrate special students into peer classes. All provinces take measures to ensure that special students receive special education.

There are currently 2 1 schools for the blind or deaf in all provinces of Canada.

Three. vocational education

Vocational education usually allows apprentices to enter specific industries after short-term training. Many schools provide short-term skills training so that their graduates can enter the labor market immediately. Both public and private schools offer it. Some training can be done on the job. Most courses can be completed in one year, and some simple courses only take a few weeks.

Most public vocational schools are managed by the provincial Ministry of Education. They are different from vocational high schools of local education committees. Students in vocational schools are all people who have left the party school system and are over the age of entering ordinary middle schools. Students also don't need a high school diploma, as long as they have received education from grade 8 to grade 12.

Vocational training in Quebec is unique. According to the vocational training law of this province, adult students must be 16 years old and have not attended school for 12 consecutive months. Most training takes place in specialized schools. This kind of school is called multi-functional school.

Apprenticeship training all over the country is a combination of on-the-job training and classroom training. Apprentices usually sign contracts with employers to learn a certain vocational skill and finally obtain the status of skilled workers. Apprentices can usually sign agreements with employers through trade unions. They are not restricted by the provincial regulations established by the industry. At present, the federal government, with the cooperation of various provinces, has begun to implement inter-provincial examination standards to facilitate the flow of skilled workers.