In British Columbia: - Education is publicly funded from kindergarten through grade 12. Children must be immunized and attend school between ages 6-16. - The school year runs from September to June, with breaks around Christmas, Easter and summer. Schooling is divided into primary, intermediate, and graduation years. - Post-secondary education includes universities, colleges, and institutes that provide programs from career training to bachelor's degrees. Tuition fees are not free, but financial assistance is available through savings plans and government loans.

1. In Canada each Province and Territory has its own jurisdiction over education.
Public education is free to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents aged
less than 20 years. Parents are responsible for providing all the school
supplies (notebooks, paper etc.), but school uniforms are not worn. Where band
and sports uniforms are needed they will be the parent's responsibility. In B.C.
students are legally required to attend school between the ages of 6 and 16
years.Elementary & Secondary schooling is the responsibility of British
Columbia's Ministry of Education, whilst the Ministry of Advanced Education,
Training and Technology are responsible for post-secondary education.The
Ministry is committed to providing a high quality education for Kindergarten to
Grade 12 children so they can develop their individual potential and acquire
knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute fully to society.Definitely check
your child's immunisation record as it may differ in Canada from the country you
are leaving. Most schools encourage full participation of their students in the
Provincial Immunisation Programs.The school year generally runs from the
beginning of September through to the end of June. Most schools close for the
months of June and July along with winter and spring breaks normally around
Christmas and Easter.Schooling is broken down into three areas; the primary
years which cover Kindergarten to grade 3; the intermediate years - grades 4 to
10 and the graduation year's grades 11 and 12. In B.C. to enter Kindergarten
(the first year of school) children must have turned five by December 31st. In
the Primary Years (5 -9), students learn foundation skills in oral language,
reading, writing and mathematics.The Intermediate Years, from age 10 to 16
years, students learn from a wide variety of subjects. In grade 5 students must
begin to study a second language. The students will also begin to take
specialized courses toward their personal and career goals.The graduation years,
17 and 18 years old, courses are focused on preparing students for Post
Secondary education and entering the work force. Students can also earn credits
towards their high school Graduation. With the Post secondary education
expensive in most cases, it is imperative that you research Registered Education
savings Plans as a way to save for your kid's education. The other main way to
finance the education is to take out Student Loans.Students Moving to
B.C.Students who are coming to British Columbia from a different school system
should submit an official statement of previous standing, such as a report card,
to the school they want to enroll in. You should also have the previous school
records and transcripts, copies of all the course outlines and content.After
considering a number of factors including the students age, records and test
results they will be placed in the appropriate grade.RegistrationOne of the most
important things is to ensure your children are registered in time. Most
facilities have limited registration "windows" that are normally several months
before the school year starts. For instance in the Calgary area we have
registered in February for the coming September. Contact the particular
establishment for the precise details.The public Post Secondary Education system
in British Columbia consists of five universities, the Open Learning Agency,
five institutes, eleven colleges and five university colleges.The eleven
colleges in British Columbia offer a wide variety of programs designed to meet
the needs of the local communities. All offer courses in the four main fields of
academic, career technical, vocational and adult basic education - including
English as a Second Language. In addition, these colleges offer a variety of
community programs.Also offering courses in career technical, vocational, adult
based education and selected courses leading to a bachelor's degree are the five
university colleges, these work in collaboration with the public
universities.The five Universities are: Royal Roads University, The University
of Victoria (both on Vancouver Island), Simon Fraser University is in Burnaby,
The University of British Columbia is in Vancouver and The University of
Northern British Columbia is situated in Prince George. These five universities
of British Columbia provide the majority of degree level education.There are
five institutes that provide specialized programs in technologies and trades,
art and design, law enforcement, marine training, and indigenous studies. Four
of these institutes are located in and around the vicinity of Vancouver; the
fifth one is in Merritt which is close to Kamloops.There are also Private Post
Secondary institutes that offer a wide range of courses in British Columbia. The
tuition fees will be considerably higher for these establishments.Whilst on the
subject of tuition fees, post secondary studies in Canada are NOT free. To help

2. parents with the cost of tuition, the Canadian Government introduced Registered
Education Savings Plan's (RESP).The British Columbia Student Assistance Program
is a joint Program between the Federal and Provincial Government. This is
available as a loan for eligible students to assist with the costs of post
secondary studies at colleges, universities, institutes and private training
institutions. These loans will have to be repaid after the course has finished!