CANADA EDUCATION REPORT
PROVES
PVAF EDUCATION MANDATE
"Education has traditionally been thought of as one
of the drivers of economic growth, contributing to reductions in health-care
expenditures and the thing that creates the wealth and allows us to have a
vibrant and effective health system," said Scott Murray,
director-general of institutions and social statistics at StatsCan.
Prajaapati Vishva Aashram Foundation (PVAF)
since its inception in 1996 has had a prime mandate to spread
KNOWLEDGE THROUGH EDUCATION among the
present humanity on this planet earth...."KNOWLEDGE IS
THE ONLY THING THAT WILL ALLEVIATE PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THIS WORLD"...says
SRii kRUSH`AN in
bhgvD giitaa....
Please read more about this Canada Education Report
from the Canadian Globe and Mail by
clicking on the next line...and PVAF prays that this will convince
YOU more to contribute to the
PVAF GUJRAAT EDUCATION PROGRAM through which with
1 KROR RUPEES A YEAR FUND some
125 financially strapped students can get a 4-year
degree to be employed in the current world industries and break out
of generations of poverty......
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Health funding top education
University costs push private outlays up as more students seek degrees, diplomas
By CAROLINE ALPHONSO
EDUCATION REPORTER
Globe and Mail: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 -
Page A9
Health-care funding in Canada has surpassed education spending, causing concern
among educators about whether governments are giving less priority to schooling.
Provincial governments spent just under 15 per cent of their total outlays on
education in 2001, compared with 17 per cent on health. Until 2000, provinces
had always put more money toward education, according to a report released
yesterday by Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education.
Despite this refocusing taking place on the part of provincial governments,
Canada ranks first among major industrialized countries in education spending,
just ahead of the United States. The territories and smaller provinces allocated
a higher percentage of their gross domestic product to education than did larger
provinces.
But Paul Cappon, director-general of the Council of Ministers of Education,
which represents provincial and territorial education ministers, warned against
complacency, especially in light of schools getting less than the health-care
sector.
"It's interesting that even people with backgrounds in medicine . . . consider
that education is a very strong determinant of health," Dr. Cappon said
yesterday.
The wide-ranging report paints a picture of the country's schooling system over
the past decade and Canada's place on the international stage.
It projected that the number of five- to 13-year-olds will decline 14 per cent
until 2011 because of a recent drop in births. Schools will have to adapt to
dropping enrolment while maintaining quality, Dr. Cappon said.
But he noted that a greater participation rate in higher education means the
decrease felt in lower grades will not be seen in universities and colleges.
Canada is highly ranked among industrialized countries for the number of people
with university degrees and college diplomas. Around 41 per cent of the
working-age population has college or university credentials, compared with 37
per cent in the United States.
The report showed that while education is receiving proportionately fewer
dollars than health, the private sector is contributing an increasing amount,
particularly at the postsecondary level.
Dr. Cappon said that private spending on education increased 16 per cent between
1997 and 2001. The majority of this increase was at the university level, as
tuition fees rose.
Meanwhile, government spending on education increased 4 per cent over that
period.
The authors of the report said that governments should pause and think about
their spending priorities.
While demographics have played a role in how money is being distributed,
governments have also refocused their priorities, they say.
"Education has traditionally been thought of as one of the
drivers of economic growth, [contributing to] reductions in health-care
expenditures and the thing that creates the wealth and allows us to have a
vibrant and effective health system," said Scott Murray, director-general
of institutions and social statistics at StatsCan.
Penny Milton, executive director of the non-profit Canadian Education
Association, said in an interview yesterday that "education contributes to the
health of the population and we have to be prepared to wait for a return on our
investment."
Other findings in the report include:
In 2000, there were on average seven students per computer in a school, compared
with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 31
students to a computer.
The proportion of male educators dropped to 35 per cent in 1999-2000 from 41 in
1989-1990. Also, there are far fewer young male teachers.
Among four- and five-year-olds, 65 per cent of girls' parents encouraged them to
write daily, compared with 51 per cent for boys.
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