November 21, 2023
The provincial NDP government delivered its throne speech today, promising significant investments for the K-12 public education system, including a commitment to ensuring that education funding keeps up with enrolment and student needs.
“Public education was chronically underfunded for seven years under the Tories, and it has had a significant and negative impact on the public education system,” said MTS president Nathan Martindale. “We are pleased to hear that the government will ensure there is enough money in the education pot to meet the growing and diverse needs of students.”
The government has also committed to establishing a nutrition program in every school, with work starting this school year.
“We have said it many times, hungry kids can’t learn,” said Martindale. “Making sure kids are fed is key to helping them be more engaged in the classroom. We believe it will make a huge difference in student success.”
Other commitments include:
- lowering class sizes for the youngest learners;
- ensuring that queer and trans students in Manitoba are safe, respected and know they belong;
- appointing an Assistant Deputy Minister for Indigenous Excellence to ensure that Indigenous student achievement is a pillar of Manitoba’s education system;
- recruiting more French language teachers and reinstate the Assistant Deputy Minister for le Bureau de l’ Éducation Française;
- including Holocaust education in the K-12 curriculum; and
- pushing for unity and against Islamophobia by ensuring educators in our province have anti-Islamophobia toolkits that come from Manitoba’s Islamic community.
Click here to read full throne speech