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A private school in Shanghai that was recently touted as a shining example of the international partnership between China and the Ontario government is in danger of losing its authority to grant Ontario high school credits following an investigation into allegations of corruption.

Canadian International Academy, one of 21 international private schools overseen by the Ministry of Education – each with the authority to grant credits toward an Ontario Secondary School Diploma, and teaching an Ontario-based curriculum – is now the subject of a ministry investigation after a group of teachers came forward with a raft of complaints.

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Among the list of concerns the teachers voiced – first to administration, then to the ministry, and then to this newspaper – are allegations of course hours that ran well-below the ministry-mandated minimum of 110 hours, a shortage of qualified teachers, and students paying a fee to retake exams and have their grades inflated, all violations of ministry regulations.

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Documents obtained by Postmedia, along with numerous interviews with former teachers, students and a former principal depict an alleged pay-for-access operation, which allowed some underperforming international students easier entry into Ontario schools.

Canadian International Academy director of education Jim Sebastian denies a pay-for-access operation exists, saying the teacher complaints were the result of “a down year” at the school.