Inspectors give thumbs up to Suzhou-based institute Sino-Canada High School which recently received some very important guests when the British Columbia Ministry of Education Inspection team visited the Suzhou institute.

 

Sino-Canada High School is a fully-accredited British Columbia school in Jiangsu Province. It operates under the auspices of the British Columbia Ministry of Education as an offshore school.

 

The school is inspected annually by a team from Canada's most western province. Because it is an offshore school it is also subject to a much more rigorous inspection than any private or public schools in the Canadian province. This is done to ensure that the standards prescribed by the BC Ministry are strictly adhered to. The school passed with flying colors.

 

Among those visiting were FISA President Doug Lauson, superintendent of the Catholic Independent School Board of Vancouver, and Michelle Gagnier, the former deputy head of St Margaret's School in Victoria.

 

The inspection involves 26 points made by the ministry, ranging from health and safety regulations to confirming that the school is operating legally and meeting all the requirements set out under its agreement with the BC Ministry.

 

These points of inspection include, but are not limited to, teacher certification, delivery of curriculum, advertising and ensuring that proper student records with all the specified documentation are maintained. The annual inspection of the school is part of the requirements to maintain its British Columbia accreditation.

 

The inspectors continually emphasized how well the school had progressed in such a relatively short time since opening in September 2003. The inspection was the fifth such occasion since the school began operation.

 

The school currently offers a full high school program for Chinese and international students who intend to pursue their studies in Canada following graduation.

 

Sino-Canada graduates can successfully complete the British Columbia graduation program that is taught by British Columbia-certified teachers in English.

 

Sino-Canada High School issues the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation, also known as the Dogwood Diploma.

 

To find out more about the inspection process, please visit the BC Ministry of Education site at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/offshore_schools/applicant_info/app_c.pdf.

 

To find out about the Sino-Canada High School, please visit www.sinocanada.cn.

 

(Shanghai Daily December 27, 2006)