The Education System

By: Gabriel E.L. Amy O.

Education and Prosperity

• The prosperity of the 1950s led to a belief that education would contribute to economic growth.

• Canadians believed that education would contribute to economic and social equality by providing opportunities for all youth that would provide them with skills for well-paying jobs.

• By the 1960s and 1970s, several “streams” were introduced to high schools so all students could graduate, regardless of ability.

Universal Schooling

• Primary schools were established to educate all children in the 19th century

• Before then, school was not available for the majority of children

• Schooling for wealthier families often focused on the classics -Latin, Greek, mathematics, and literature- as apposed to job training

Children

• Daughters stayed at home, Sons were sent of to school

• Child labor became abolished, schooling introduce to occupy children

• Widespread resistance to schooling by parents at the time, because they felt the had the right to have their children work

Education and Prosperity

• Post secondary education became more accessible as new universities were built.

• In the 1980s, the goal of education was to provide students with skills that would be required in a changing workplace, but with a new emphasis on choosing and education suited for their abilities and interest.

• By the end of the 20th century, post-secondary education became the desire expectation for most adolescent in Canada; the transition of adulthood became longer.

Life stage

• In the 20th century, the concept of education was widely accepted as a new stage in the life course

• 1904 - G. Stanley Hall borrowed the term adolescents from the 15th century to identify children who had reached puberty but who were still not in the workforce

Continued

• Some children from poorer families did not attend school regularly even when they were legally obliged to attend

• Assumption was that starting work early was more valuable because they would learn the specific skills required on the job

The Transition in Middle-Eastern Islamic Families

• Bahira Sherif-Trask (2006) explains that Muslims believe these scriptures are instructions from God that enable people to fulfill the functions of the family and have happy, productive lives.

• According to these scriptures the nuclear family has precise gender and age roles and is the focus of social organization.

• Parents should support their children until they are older, Young adults should marry and have children, and children should in turn support their parents.

The Transition in Middle-Eastern Islamic Families

• Middle-Eastern Islamic families, like others around the world have been influenced by globalization, technology, and political change, such as feminism, so it’s difficult to define one typical family.

• However, Islamic families like Eastern families in general, view emerging adulthood as a time to complete schooling, start a job and marry to start a new family.

Changing Workplaces in the 20th Century

• In the late 20th century, Canadians expect that staying in school, individuals would attain the credentials to get a good job

• In the 90’s leaving school before graduating at 18 described as “dropping out”

Continued

• Common belief was the young people would “start from the bottom”

• Women began to enter the workforce, and within a few decades were employed at almost the same rate as men

The End