VICTORIA – Voila! B.C.’s Offshore Schools Program is about to mark another milestone as the first offshore school in Europe has been approved to open its doors in Paris, France.

Since it was launched 16 years ago, the program has developed into a global network, promoting B.C.’s world-class education system in more than 40 schools, in eight countries on three continents.

The Canadian Bilingual School of Paris will begin to offer the B.C. curriculum next fall. With a campus in the heart of the city, only a stone’s throw from the famous Champs-Élysées, the school will also be the first to offer the program in French and English.

The school will cater to both French and international students, as well as Canadian students seeking an international academic experience. It is anticipated approximately 130 K-12 students will enrol in the program when doors open next fall.

This school joins two others announced last month by Premier Christy Clark that are also poised to offer the program next year – the SBRS Gurukul School, located just outside Chandigarh in the Punjab, and the Bunka Gakuen University Suginami Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo.

The B.C. Offshore Schools Program looks to foster relationships with educational partners around the world by promoting B.C.’s world-class education system. A key goal is to develop and strengthen cultural and economic ties with other countries while creating more pathways for international students to come to B.C. to study in both our K-12 and post-secondary systems.

Quotes:

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education –

“This is another significant step for our Offshore Schools Program – B.C.’s first school in Europe and the first to offer a bilingual educational program. The B.C. brand is recognized as a leading commodity in international education circles and this is further proof the innovative work we’re doing at the ministry, district, school and classroom level is heading in the right direction.”

Quick Facts:

• The Ministry of Education receives several inquiries each year about offering the B.C. education program abroad, but only a handful of applications are approved. Schools must go through a rigorous application and inspection process before they become certified and all criteria must be met to the satisfaction of the ministry.
• B.C. offshore schools are inspected annually to ensure program standards and requirements are met, and that they continue to be met. These standards include teaching the B.C. curriculum in English and/or French, employing B.C.-certified teachers and principals and using provincial graduation examinations.
• Students who graduate from the Offshore Schools Program receive a B.C. Dogwood Diploma.
• There are currently 41 B.C. offshore schools in operation − 32 in China, five in South Korea and one in Thailand, Egypt, Qatar and Colombia respectively. Schools in India, Japan and France will begin to offer the program in 2015.
• B.C. offshore schools cater to more than 10,300 students with approximately 615 B.C.-certified teachers helping to deliver the program.