Rosedale Academy takes Canadian high-school education around the world
Thanks to education companies like Rosedale Academy, teenagers from Brazil, Madagascar, Peru and many other countries are reaping the fruits of Canadian high-school instruction without ever setting foot on Canadian soil.
Since Rosedale was started by a group of educators and investors five years ago, the Markham, Ontario-based company has awarded thousands of credits to students abroad pursuing the Ontario Secondary School diploma. Rosedale uses a blended delivery model centred on a customized online learning platform. Foreign schools and learning centres can sign up as partners to offer their students a Canadian classroom experience.
The courses are run entirely in English, and Ontario-certified teachers mark and grade every student’s work. Rosedale says that all its courses exceed Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines.
Among its 30 global partner institutions are a technical university in Lima, Peru; the leading English-language training school in Antananarivo, Madagascar; two private high schools in São Paulo, Brazil; a college in Lagos, Nigeria, set up specifically to bridge the gap between Canadian and west African high-school curriculums.
Plans for the future include a program for students from Canada to broaden their horizons by studying Ontario syllabus courses at schools and universities in Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Such links bring benefits to Canada that go well beyond the $680 fee that Rosedale typically charges for its online learning course. The academy provides work for dozens of Canadian teachers. Diplomas earned through Rosedale also raise Canada’s profile abroad, potentially paving the way for a wave of applicants to Canadian universities and colleges.
On the other side of the coin, Rosedale has set up partnerships with public school boards in Ontario’s Stratford, Durham and Niagara regions, enabling a growing number of Brazilian students to spend a semester at a Canadian high school. In addition, visiting students’ outlays on food, accommodation and entertainment provide a welcome boost to the local economy.
“The teachers find it very enjoyable, and it also brings cultural diversity to the classroom,”
says Jasmine Lenuzzi, Rosedale’s director for education partnerships and herself a former Ontario public school board employee.
Canada’s trade commissioners abroad have helped Rosedale keep marketing costs to a minimum. Among other services, they’ve introduced Rosedale to local schools and universities, allowed access to facilities at local Canadian embassies, assisted with multimedia presentations and given presentations on Canada’s immigration policies.
“I’ve been very blessed with all the trade commissioners I’ve worked with, particularly in Brazil and Peru,”
Lenuzzi says. “They have been crucial to us and wonderful to work with.”
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