In the first instalment of this series, I explored healthcare, and travel and adventure opportunities that come with moving to Canada. Today, I will focus on Education and Child Benefits, and Career and Culture.
1. Education and Child Benefits:
a. Excellent educational system: the challenges with public school education (particularly primary schools) in Nigeria is well documented and I personally do not know anyone who sends their kids to a public school in Nigeria. The public school system in Canada is excellent across the provinces and most people I know send their kids to public schools. You will find public schools highly ranked and yes, there are schools whose ranking leave much to be desired.
If you have kids of school age and if they have attended school in Nigeria, you will notice an immediate difference. The Canadian system raises the kids to ask questions and, in my opinion, has a great focus on developing independent, confident and expressive kids. When my younger kid was about 2.5 years old, she would almost never allow you to dress her up or put on her shoes for her. Kids are not afraid to ask questions and give feedback, even if unsolicited! As a parent, I have learned patience because I don’t get let off the hook until the curiosity of my kids are satisfied; this gets better the older they get.
One shock for me was that the kindergarten curriculum in Alberta only requires the kids to know and be able to write 1–30. Kids get into kindergarten at 5; my older kid who was in kindergarten in Nigeria at the time could recite and write up to 200! I have however seen firsthand how they build on the foundations laid in kindergarten. A reading culture is encouraged and kids are encouraged to read at least 15 minutes daily.
In Alberta, kids attend kindergarten for 2.5 hours a day so parents still need to put the kids in daycare or after school care, at additional cost. And from grade 1 -5, you may have to put the kids in before school programs to enable you to get to work early enough and after school care programs as you may still be at work when school closes. One of the things I find strange is that parents and sometimes the opposition party complain of huge class sizes in public schools; the huge class size is anywhere between 25 and 35! Public schools are technically free up to grade 12; technically free because you may need to pay some minimal fees as set by your schools’ education board/district. And for university education, loans and grants are available if you meet the requirements.
b. Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP): An RESP is an account that can be used to save towards kids’ education. While the decision to send your kids to college/university is a private one. I am not aware of any government initiative in Nigeria that encourages savings towards kid’s education. The Canadian government will give a grant of 20% up to a maximum of $500 for deposits made into a child’s RESP account. You need to contribute a minimum of $2,500 in a calendar year to get the maximum government grant of $500 for the year; if you contribute $2,000, you will only get $400 government grant. The grant is automatically deposited into the child’s RESP account. Depending on how well you contribute, the RESP balance may or may not have enough funds for the child’s college fees, but you won’t be starting from $0 either. You can also read more about RESP here.
c. Canada child benefit (CCB): this is a “tax-free payment monthly payment made to eligible families to help with the cost of raising children under 18 years of age” (https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html). While having kids is a private decision, the Canadian government lends a hand in helping you raise your kids by providing some money monthly for each child until each child’s 18th birthday. There is no similar initiative by the Nigerian government. Note that your eligibility for CCB is dependent on your family income (what you and your spouse earn) — the higher your family income, the lower the CCB payment you get for each child until you get $0 😊. The payment is usually made into the account of the mother of the eligible kid or a cheque is sent in her name.
2. Career and Culture:
a. Work culture & environment: Office politics has different tones across the globe. Largely, mutual respect in the workplace is a lot different than it is in Nigeria. Working hours are honoured and respected per employment agreement. If required, you would put in longer hours. Before Covid forced us all to work from home, there were days I didn’t see or interact with my manager! Having to be my own cheerleader at work was a culture shock for me. Back in Nigeria, modesty, not blowing your own trumpet and believing your good works will speak for you was the way things were largely done for me. In Canada, if you don’t blow your own trumpet or articulately convey your concerns, it may be assumed that you’re alright!
b. Multi-culture: Canada is multicultural and offers an opportunity to be exposed to diverse cultures. Learning has always been a key piece of development for me. Also, provides a chance for me to educate others about our home country.
In the final instalment of this series, I will share my thoughts on General well-being and standard of living. I will also share some websites which can be useful for new immigrants or can also be additional information sources for those still considering the move.
PS: thank you to everyone who read and shared the first publication. And also for taking time to read my previous publications.
