Education in Canada

 

Education in Canada: an overview of the primary and secondary school system

• Education is one of the highest priorities for the Canadian government.
• Canada is a highly developed country and offers one of the highest quality of education across the globe.
• Pre-elementary or ‘kindergarten’ is the first stage of education 
• Primary education or elementary school is Canada is mandatory
• Secondary education in Canada has two levels: junior high school and high school. 
• Many students in Canada will attend college to further prepare themselves for university and obtain credits that can be transferred over.
• Vocational schools allow Canadian students to learn the specific trade
• The age of compulsory education varies from province to province in Canada.
• The two official languages of Canada are English and French. 
• Canada has a large amount of migrants in its schools, with more than a third of young adults in Canada coming from immigrant families. 
• Many colleges and universities are heavily subsidized, allowing students of all backgrounds an equal chance at higher education. 

Understanding The Canadian Education System

[Inclusive Education in Canada] HOW WE DO SCHOOL B.C Ep3 : Learners in Progress

Inclusive Education Canada (IEC) 

Why Inclusive Education?

Schools are mirrors of our communities and must be rich and robust places of opportunity where we learn together.

Research shows that all students learn better in inclusive classrooms. An inclusive education system teaches students the benefits of diversity, cooperation, and consideration of others whereas separate programs create barriers to opportunities for children to learn from, support, and develop relationships with one another.

Canada has made significant progress in making schools inclusive in the last few decades. Indeed, our country is seen as one of the most advanced in the world. However, the progress has not been uniform and many parts of the country remain entrenched in the traditional models of special education. Sadly, thousands of children with intellectual disabilities face discrimination and segregation in schools every day. They are unable to participate in a common learning environment with their siblings and peers. Their schools and classrooms have not been structured or supported to make inclusion a reality.

In Canada:

• Fewer than 50% of children with intellectual disabilities are in fully inclusive school settings.
• Children with an intellectual disability are four times more likely than other children with disabilities to be attending special education schools (16% vs. 4%).
• Approximately 30% of children with an intellectual disability had to leave their community school or neighbourhood school in order to receive an education.
• Of the more than 1,300 Ontario elementary and secondary school principals surveyed – between 40 and 50% had at times asked parents to keep their children with disabilities at home.

Segregated, special classrooms, limited access to teams and lowered expectations are just some of the ways that children with intellectual disabilities are excluded in Canadian schools. We can do better. Working together we can make Canadian schools inclusive.