This afternoon the province of Manitoba announced the launch of their new Manitoba K-12 action plan. Manitoba's Education and Early Learning Childhood Minister Wayne Ewasko made the announcement today and spoke about the plan.
All children deserve a high-quality education and our government is committed to strengthening and improving education in the province, this action plan redefines our focus on actions that improve educational outcomes with student achievement and well-being at the centre of all planning and decisions. Based on public feedback to date, work is not proceeding on three of the commission recommendations including changes to the school trustee model and other governance changes.
The action plan is being launched after there were 75 recommendations put forward by the Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education.
The plan is focused on ensuring access to high-quality, equitable education which will, in turn, prepare students for their future, support excellence in teaching and leadership, and strengthen the public education system in Manitoba.
The newly announce action plan will have 4 pillars for student success involved:
- High-Quality Learning: to improve learning and outcomes for students through responsive and relevant curriculum and learning experiences in safe and inclusive learning environments.
- Student Engagement and Well-Being: to respond to diverse life experiences, engage students, promote well-being, support successful transitions and leverage inter-sectoral partnerships.
- Excellence in Teaching and Leadership: to ensure teachers, school staff and leaders have the knowledge, skills and tools to support student achievement and well-being.
- Responsive Systems: to ensure an equitable, aligned and effective public education system that focuses on engagement, inclusion and planning for provincial and local needs.
Minister Ewasko said that the work on many of the priority actions is either already underway or has been completed while the work on the remaining ones is scheduled to begin over the next 2 years.
Back in January of 2019, the Manitoba government established the Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education to undertake the largest and most comprehensive independent review of the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system since 1959.
The commission that was formed was tasked with making recommendations to improve student outcomes, ensure long-term sustainability and enhance public confidence in Manitoba’s education system.
In total, there were more than 2,500 written submissions and briefs, over 10,000 survey responses from teachers and the public, as well as close to 1,900 participants in public- and student-focused workshops.
Minister Ewasko noted that the Manitoba K to 12 Education Action Plan reflects the spirit and intent of the commission’s finding, as well as the follow-up engagement since the report was released in March 2021.
This includes numerous sessions with advisory groups made up of educators, students, parents and caregivers, the findings from the parent engagement task force, as well as meetings with student service leaders, school division administrators and education stakeholder organizations.
