THERE are hundreds, probably thousands, of private colleges and even high schools as well as elementary schools in Canada. These private educational institutions are classified into two according to ownership – secular and ownership. Certain religious groups such as the Catholic Jesuits and some fundamental Christians, Mormons, Jewish and even Muslim groups have set up schools, colleges and universities throughout the country. While the Muslim-owned madrasahs are accepting only members of their religion as students, some religious groups such as the Jesuits are openly accepting students from other religions. They even allow students of other religions such as Judaism and Islam to establish their own student associations inside the campuses of these schools and colleges. Other educational institutions are more secular and are owned either by individuals and corporations. Some of them which have rather large endowments already bear more complex systems and are the most competitive in the country in terms of providing quality education. The respective reputations of these institutions expand from the province where they are located.

Just like basic or primary education, the responsibility to oversee college education is relegated at the provincial level. And just like their elementary counterparts, state universities receive funding from the government. If the government subsidy is not enough to provide education, these institutions rely heavily on charitable organizations for their endowment. The first religious school in Canada came into being in the 19th century.

There are also schools uniquely dedicated to the aboriginals of Canada. These schools are run by the Protestants and Catholics. These religions in turn attempt to convert the students as well as their parents who enrolled them in these schools. In Quebec alone, 17 percent of high school students here attend private schools. The figure is relatively higher in urban centers such as Montreal where 30 percent of the concentration of private students is lodged in private institutions. Of course, the growth in private schools enrollment in Quebec has increased for the past five years or so. But entering a private school – whether you’re in elementary or high school or college – is not that easy. One has to undergo a very rigorous exam which is a little bit tricky. Grammar and literature is what is more focused in the exam as well as your own essay convincing the admissions staff of a particular college on why they should get you as a student. But with the steady growth of private school students in Quebec since 2002, that only means that there are a lot of intelligent children in that province. In college, the most popular programs that students usually take are liberal arts such as theology, literature, languages, philosophy, history, mathematics and science. Interestingly enough, the concentration of language studies in Canada is equal in both English and French as half of the country speak English while the other half speak French.

One unique state university in Canada is the Royal Military College of Canada. Although it only caters to Canadian soldiers, it offers complete bachelor’s degrees.

SCHOOLING in Canada varies from province to province. Elementary and secondary education is already combined from kindergarten to Grade 12. But in Prince Edward Island, youngsters do not undergo kindergarten anymore. On the other hand, Quebec’s education program is only up to Grade 11. Previously, Ontario had a Grade 13 but this was subsequently cut by the provincial government to save on cost. The child’s first day of school is one of the most precarious moments of his life. That is why both parents need to be absent from work that day to observe their children during the first day of school. This will be the very first day when pre-school teachers will be their mentors instead of their parents.

The kids need to adjust to that in this case. Some kids tend to be shy while others tend to be extrovert and can adjust well with their new mentors. Of course, pre-school teachers are expected to be not as strict as their high school or college counterparts given the vulnerable nature of a child’s brain. During the first day of school, the child is introduced to his or her classmates and child psychologists are usually around to observe the children on how they inter-relate. Some children tend to be bullies but this is rather normal at this stage. The psychologists will watch out for those who are too shy though as these are potential autistics.

There is a viewing room for parents outside the classroom and here, they will meticulously observe the behavior of their respective child on their first day of school. A daily session usually ends in eight hours and there will be snacks in between. During the snack breaks, the kids are given the chance to reunite with their parents who will lure the children to the school’s cafeteria. It is at this opportune time where parents can listen to their children’s evaluation on their first school moments. During the session proper, teachers will usually insert games to enhance participation of individual students. And in between, they will slowly integrate various lessons according to the curriculum like arithmetic, sizes of objects, the alphabet, etc.

After elementary and high school, Canadians immediately go to college. But in Quebec, there is a particular program called the CEGP or the College of General and Professional Education. Simply put, this is akin to a community college in the United States or a vocational school elsewhere. Just like in a community college, a CEGP offers technology transfer programs in such fields as instrumentation automation robotics, architectural technology, nursing, building engineering technology and computer science. What is offered in a certain CEGP may not be offered in another. The availability of the program entirely depends on the industrial sector of that particular area where the college is situated. For instance, a CEGP located in Montreal most likely has a program in cargo handling because Montreal is one of the world’s busiest cargo seaports. Quebec has another advantage when it comes to college education because it receives the most subsidies from the federal government.