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Separate / Private

Separate Schools

Catholic School

A separate school is a publicly funded school which includes religious education in its curriculum. In Alberta, the majority of separate schools are Roman Catholic, although there are some Protestant separate schools. The concept of the separate school system dates way back in Canadian history, to the conquest of New France by the British in 1763. Though defeated, the French were still allowed jurisdiction of their Roman Catholic schools. The British North America (BNA) Act of 1867 confirmed this principle by guaranteeing that any education rights enjoyed by a religious group before confederation could be continued after the province was established.

This dual school system concept carried over to the West. With its large French-speaking population, Roman Catholic schools operated in Alberta before it became a province. Under the BNA. Act, these privileges were continued when Alberta became a province in 1905.

Today, separate schools highly resemble public schools, and non-religious students can and do attend separate schools. Separate and public schools are both required to follow the same curriculum, teachers must meet the same standards, and both have the same right to a certain amount of religious instruction a day, although public schools seldom exert this right.

Private Schools

Private schools differ from public schools in that they are run and supported by private individuals or a corporation rather than by the government, and are not supported by public funds but usually by a fee each student pays to attend.

Private schools were highly popular in Alberta in the 1950s, with ten percent of all students attending one. But with the advent of centralized schools and subsequent increasing quality of public education, private school enrollment dropped off and many schools closed.

Approximately 190 private schools are in operation in Alberta today. Students may attend a private school because the school meets their special needs or offers a particular program not offered in the public system.

 

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