News Releases
November 25, 2003

Alberta's education system seen as one of the best in Canada

Edmonton... Alberta's education system has again been confirmed as being one of the best in Canada, according to the just-released Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program 2003.

"This latest study supports what students, parents and teachers already know," said Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Learning. "Alberta has an excellent education system and our students consistently perform among the best in the world. The report highlights areas of success and also areas where provinces and territories can improve. I will be reviewing this report, as will my colleagues across Canada, to identify opportunities to build on our success and look for ways to improve."

The report highlights the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2000, where Alberta's 15-year-olds not only performed significantly better than the Canadian average, but ranked first in the world in reading and third in mathematics and science. In fact, Alberta was the only jurisdiction in the world whose students placed among the top three in the world in all three areas of assessment.

Other findings of the report include:

  • Students in Alberta schools, along with their peers in Manitoba, had the best access to computers in Canada, with both provinces averaging five students per computer. The Canadian average was seven students per computer.
  • Alberta led most other provinces in the percentage of 15-year-olds who use computers at least a few times a week to support education (36 per cent) - second only to Ontario (39 per cent) and tied with Newfoundland-Labrador. The Canadian average was 31 per cent.
  • Between 1997/98 and 2001/02, Alberta led the country with the highest increase in spending on education by all levels of government. That included the highest spending increase for kindergarten to Grade 12 education (15 per cent), the highest spending increase for college education (46 per cent), and the third-highest spending increase for university education (25 per cent) - behind only British Columbia (35 per cent) and Manitoba (28 per cent).
  • Overall, Alberta's working age population (25 to 64 years of age) is one of the best educated in Canada and the world. In 2001, 55 per cent of Albertans in this age group had completed post-secondary education (trade, college and university).
  • Unemployment rates for Alberta's post-secondary graduates are consistently among the lowest in Canada. In 2000, among 25-29 year-olds, the unemployment rate for college graduates and trades/vocational graduates was the lowest in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario (4 per cent). The unemployment rate for university graduates was the lowest in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan (4 per cent). The Canadian average for college, trades/vocational and university graduates was 5 per cent.

Statistics Canada developed the report in collaboration with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada and provincial and territorial departments responsible for education. The first edition of the report was published in 1999. The report provides statistical data for five key areas - school-age population, financing education systems, K-12 education, post-secondary education, and transitions and outcomes to post-secondary education and the labour market. The report allows for inter-provincial comparisons and assessments of trends over time. The majority of the data comes from Statistics Canada sources.

Backgrounder

What the Report Says

The following are excerpts from Education Indicators in Canada: Report of the Pan-Canadian Education Indicators Program 2003. A copy of the report is available at: www.cmec.ca.

Funding
• "In the fiscal year 1997-1998, expenditure on education by all orders of government reached $55.8 billion...Over this period, total government expenditure increased across most jurisdictions, with Alberta leading at 19%." (page 36)
 
Technology
• "Provincial student-computer ratios ranged from 5:1 in Alberta and Manitoba to 10:1 in Quebec. While these ratios may include older computers with limited use, most of the provincial ratios ranked among the best in the world." (page 78)
 
Student Results
• "The overall results of the PISA 2000 reading assessment are comprised of three reading subscales: retrieving information, interpreting texts and reflection and evaluation...Among the ten provinces, Alberta's relative performance was very strong. Alberta's score for the combined reading literacy scale was higher than the Canadian average and, along with Finland, ranked at the very top...Alberta students also performed well on the three reading subscales, scoring significantly higher than all provinces and countries on the third subscale: reflection and evaluation." (page 87)
• "In PISA 2000 (Mathematics), Japan and the Republic of Korea were the only countries scoring significantly higher than Canada in mathematics... Alberta and Quebec students scored significantly higher than the Canadian average and all other countries except Japan and Korea." (page 88)
• "In PISA 2000, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Finland were the only countries scoring significantly higher than Canada on the science assessment...Within Canada, Alberta and Quebec scored higher than the Canadian average and at about the same level as the top performing countries." (page 91)
 
Post-secondary Institutions
• "Between 1988-1989 and 1998-1999, full-time enrolment at Canadian universities increased by 16% from 499,500 students to 580,400. Growth was stronger between 1988-1989 and 1992-1993 than in the latter part of the decade. Part-time enrolment has been falling since 1992-1993, with an overall decrease over the decade between 1988-1989 and 1998-1999. These enrolment trends are reflected in all provinces except Alberta and British Columbia, where the part-time enrolment has increased along with full-time enrolment." (page 115)
 
Unemployment Rate
• "In 2000, the unemployment rate for 25- to 29-year-olds with less than high school stood at 17% compared to 5% for university graduates (Figure E2.3 and Table E2.3). In 2000, the provincial differences in unemployment rates of university-trained 25- to 29-year-olds were relatively narrow, from 4% in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario to 7% in Newfoundland and Labrador. On the other hand, unemployment rates for those who did not complete high school ranged from 11% in Alberta and Manitoba to over 30% in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador." (page 161)