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B.C. offshore school inspections described as ‘superficial’

November 30, 2012. 10:04 am • Section: B.C. Education Report

Several former employees of Maple Leaf Educational Systems in China have raised questions about theannual inspections of B.C. offshore schools by teams selected by the Education Ministry. As I reported inFriday’s newspaper, these evaluations are arranged in advance – giving the for-profit schools ample time toprepare – and some say the inspector, who are paid by the schools, don’t dig for dirt.

“They would probably tell you that’s not their mandate,” said Lea Proust, a former vice-

principal at the Dalian Maple Leaf International School from 2006 to 2010. “ I would suggestthey need to change their mandate and have surprise visits, not planned visits that are allorchestrated (as to) where they’ll go, who they’ll visit, what they’ll see, how many dinners, howmany shopping trips, etc. They’re not getting at the issues that need to be examined thoroughly if the Dogwood is to maintain its value.”

The ministry says 50 inspections of offshore schools will occur this year, including one at the Tianjin MapLeaf International School in December. The offshore schools cover all costs for the inspection teams,including:

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- Return business class airfare, and other transportation expenses.

- A professional fee of $350 per person on the inspection team, per day.

- Incidental expenses of $125 per inspector.

- Applicable visa application fees.

- Accommodation and meals, as specified by the ministry.

Inspectors on contact this year include almost 30 B.C. school superintendents,former superintendents, principals, directors of education and others. Through the Freedom of Informationlaw, I recently obtained two such contracts, which show that a Catholic school superintendent received$5,569 for professional services and incidental expenses after an all-expenses paid trip to Bangkok, India anQatar to inspect three B.C.-certified schools in March, while a B.C. Christian school principal received$3,525 for his professional services in inspecting three B.C.-certified schools in South Korea in February.

B.C. has 34 certified offshore schools and another 16 about to be certified.

B.C. offshore school stories spark heated discussionNext B.C. Education Report post More teachercomplaints about a B.C.-certified school in ChinaPrevious B.C. Education Report postWe encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed tomaintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keepyour comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the “X” in theupper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visitour FAQ page for more information.

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Rob Paynter · Top commenter · University of Victoria

Can you confirm whetther or not any currently employeed staff take leaves of absence to

complete this work? it would seem to me that they aren't actually fulfilling their durites to theirown districts/schools when away investigating for profit foreign schools.

Reply ·  · Like · Follow Post · 30 November at 10:173