Canada: An educational superpower

When we discuss education in the world, there is always a big debate on the success of the current educational systems. In general, the first countries we normally name when discussing educational reputation are the Asian tigers like Singapore and South Korea, together with the alternative methodologies of the Nordic countries like Norway, Finland and Iceland. However, Canada has quietly begun to move up the ranks in the international standards of measurement.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canadian high school students are among the best educated in the world, especially in science, mathematics and languages. They have surpassed European countries with a great educational tradition.

Read more: See where you can learn French in Canada.

Moreover, the number of employees with university degrees in Canada is currently higher than the average of other countries. These figures are proof that the educational policies are working at national level.  The most surprising thing is that Canada achieved these feats without having a unified education system. In other words, Canada has a federal education system, where each province can establish its own standards, methods, timetables, etc. What we need to ask ourselves is:  

How did Canada achieve such successful results without a national education system?

The contrast between one province’s education system and another are remarkable, e.g. in one province children can study 11 years in school and in another it can be 12. Moreover, the OECD investigated the reasons for the country’s success and reached the conclusion that, although the federal education systems are very different, there is a single unified point in the immigrants policy.

The role of immigrants

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Like other North American countries Canada is a country which is recognised for its pro-immigration policies. This position is a result of the new social dynamics that have arisen due to the migration phenomenon. Many young people living in Canada come from families originating from other countries, so this multicultural aspect is already present in all aspects of Canadian life.

However, this pro-immigration policy aims to address two great challenges which have been very difficult for many European countries to overcome: an aging population and a lack of specialised workforce. Canada has realised that education is the key to overcoming these problems and therefore encourages and integrates the children of immigrants and provides new arrivals with the tools they need to integrate quickly with their companions of the same level. Among the successful methods used, it is worth mentioning: improving illiteracy, training teachers, school libraries and identifying schools with problems.

Canada as an educational destination

The acceptance of the pro-immigration policies in this North American country have contributed to its reputation for being a very popular international educational destination, especially for higher education. There are many facilities for foreign students to obtain their student visa as well as the ETA Canada visa travel permit.

Advantages for future international students

• In Canada you can find internationally recognised university degrees, diplomas and certificates.
• Canada offers students state-of-the-art technology.
• Canada offers learning both inside and outside the classroom. There is a wide range of programmes providing students with training and internships.
• In Canada, students live in a safe environment with a low crime rate and a high standard of living.
• You will not feel isolated for being different, since Canada’s education system is multicultural.
• Students can work part-time.
• Following your studies, you have the possibility of becoming a resident.

Growth potential

Many analysts agree that the number of students will rise significantly from 2018 onwards, due to the declining attraction of countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. With Brexit and President Trump’s anti-immigration policies, it more than likely that the number of international students interested in these English-speaking destinations will migrate to other easily-accessible countries like Canada.