This action plan responds to the 75 recommendations of the report of the Commission on Education from Kindergarten to 12e year of Manitoba (New window)published in March 2021.
At the heart of this new project, the success of Manitoba students. The province focuses on several points such as the feeling of security, the feeling of belonging and mental health, in particular.
None of the measures seem as drastic as those of Bill 64, which included the elimination of school divisions.
According to Education and Early Learning Minister Wayne Ewasko, the province has realized that eliminating school divisions is going too far.
Mr. Ewasko adds that the new plan aims to improve student outcomes and ensure that the education system is inclusive and equitable.
Manitobans have told us loud and clear that they don’t want us to change the governance structure of the K-12 education system, Wayne Ewasko said at a press conference Wednesday at Templeton School in Winnipeg.
One of the most significant measures is the establishment of an Education Council this year. According to the official document provided by the provincial government, the Council will provide strategic direction and advice on the implementation of the action plan
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The government has few details on this measure. It is not yet known who will be part of this committee, what its exact missions will be and how it will be organized.
Six new groups will be created:
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Board of Education
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Curriculum Advisory Committee
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Minister’s Advisory Council on Inclusive Education
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Student Advisory Council
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Poverty and Education Working Group
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Education Funding Model Review Team
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The province says it wants to promote curricula in French as well as Indigenous languages and knowledge, in addition to improving report cards, among other things.
Manitoba also wishes to develop a strategy to enable the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural communities, particularly Aboriginal and Francophone teachers.
The proposed changes are outlined in the action plan below.
These measures will be implemented over the next five years.
In addition, the plan calls for the establishment of an online secondary school by next year. It would be part of an overall distance learning strategy that builds on lessons learned during the pandemic.
This initiative will allow students to access programs that are not offered in their community, added the Minister.
Manitoba will assess students across the province in Grade 10 rather than Grade 12. The province plans to release data on student achievement at the school level, in addition to data for school divisions and the province as a whole.
An Education Ministry official clarified that the data is not intended to assess the performance of individual schools or compare them to others.
It is also planned to implement, within the next two years, new report cards that reflect the needs of pupils requiring additional support in the classroom.
There will also be more early intervention for students who need help, and every principal will take steps to improve performance for Indigenous students, according to the province.
With information from Cameron MacLean
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