Separate / Private
Separate Schools
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. |