University of British Columbia

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 , 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 immunization record as it may differ in Canada from the country you are leaving. Most schools encourage full participation of their students in the Provincial Immunization 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 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.

Registration

One 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 , 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 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!

University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is located in the west of the Netherlands and is the country's largest city. Also it is of great importance because the city is the capital of the country. If we go a little deeper into the name of the city then there is a concept behind the word "Amsterdam". Basically, the concept is that there is a dam inside the city whose name is "Amstel" and also there is a dam on the river so combining these two words the name of the city popped out as "Amsterdam". During the 12th Century Amsterdam became one of the leading and important ports for trading purposes. During that time the city was well known for the trade of diamonds.

Geographically Amsterdam is located on the west side of Holland. The position is 2 meters above sea level.

Amsterdam, due to the ocean, has a cool climate. Winters are very cold having temperatures most of the time under 0 degrees, and at night it even falls below -5 degrees easily. The summers are hot but most of the time just warm. The summer temperatures commonly range from 20 to 30 degrees. Rainfalls are a common thing in Amsterdam as the city enjoys rainfalls for 175 days on average throughout the year.

Architecture wise Amsterdam is a very rich city which has a lot of history. In the present day Amsterdam is the only city in the world which has two buildings made of total wood which were built in the 13th and 14th Centuries. In the starting era of construction people use to build their houses and all the other buildings from total wood but later, in the 16th Century, all the buildings made from wood were demolished and were rebuilt with stones and bricks. Most of the buildings in Amsterdam are of gothic style architecture.

The economy of the Netherlands is strong, the main reason behind that is the economy of Amsterdam really contributes in the economy of Netherlands. The stock Exchange of Amsterdam is the oldest of the world. It is considered as a financial platform or hub for the total economy of Holland.

For tourists Amsterdam is one of the most popular and destination. The city alone receives around 3 million tourists every year according to the latest 2009 statistics. The report also suggests that this figure is increasing day by day. Tourists are attracted towards Amsterdam because of its architecture and arts and natural beauty.

In the field of sports Holland has its own football league named as "Eredivise" and Amsterdam has a team playing in that league which is called as "Ajax Amsterdam". Their home ground is located in Amsterdam and is name as "The Amsterdam Arena".

In the educational sector Amsterdam has two universities and a number of schools and colleges which are producing quality students. Among all these institutions "University of Amsterdam" is highly regarded as the best educational institution in all of the Netherlands. Among schools and colleges, "The International Institute of Social History Amsterdam" is one of the biggest research institutions.