Essay - Public Education in Canada Two of the Major Goals of...

Public Education in Canada

Two of the major goals ***** education are to provide society with the skills and knowledge required for growth, and to give each individual the opportunity for personal development and achievement. The pursuit of these two aims can sometimes conflict, so the Canadian approach to ***** public education system is founded on coordinati*****, in an attempt to ***** education that is diversified, comprehensive, ***** available to all. ***** public education system in ***** differs from most countries in that it is composed ***** ten prov*****cial and three terri*****rial systems, which in add*****ion to controlling public *****, is also responsible for denominational schools ***** private education. The legalities of attendance are common to all thirteen systems, and children ***** legally required ***** begin school at the age ***** six or seven, and must attend until they reach the age of ********** or seventeen. In order to facilitate this obligation, all public education in Canada, from kindergarten through to grade twelve, is *****ly funded and free to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents until the end of secondary school. Post ***** and higher education differs, in that it relies on the payment of tuiti***** fees ***** all but a handful of cases, such as in Quebec where the general and vocational colleges (CEGEPs) remain publicly funded (Manzer 1994).

Since the Canadian Constitution deems the provinces to be responsible ***** *****, the system differs ***** the ********** of Western countries by possessing no federal educational *****. As w***** the Constitution's intention, each of ***** provincial systems reflect and promote the diversity ***** their own specific traditions, his*****ry and culture, while retaining a shared foundation of the public education ethos. Each ***** the ***** education departments are headed by an elected minister who is ultimately ***** for the schools' curriculum, teaching st*****dards, and ***** department's financial affairs. Since 1967, the Council of Min*****ters of Education, Canada (CMEC) has existed to act as ***** unified voice ***** Canadian education. Through this forum, the provincial and terri*****rial ********** discuss matters ***** are of mutual concern or interest. CMEC also allows ***** ***** ***** interests of the provinces and territ*****ies to portray a collective front when dealing ***** national ***** organizations, the federal government, foreign governments, or inter***** ********** (Manzer 1994). To provide them with *****sistance and advice, the ministers rely on local, elected school boards or commissions who take over ***** day ***** ***** responsibility of running the elementary ***** secondary *****s. Although similar in structure, these ***** school authorities are sometimes known by different names, such as school boards, school districts, school divisions and, in the case ***** New Brunswick, District Education Councils (Caldwell 1998). ***** members of the govern*****g bodies of local school authorities are known as school trustees, and are elected to office in public elections. The powers and duties of ***** ***** are codified in ***** provincial or territ*****ial statutes ***** are generally ***** throughout Canada. ***** major functions of the boards' remit is to set and adhere