The Future of Primary and Secondary Education in Manitoba

Tuesday May 8, I spoke on a Members Statement about our recent Forum on the future of primary and secondary education in Manitoba. A video of my comments is at this link. The text, from Hansard, is below.

Future of Primary and Secondary Education

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Madam Speaker, April 29th I was privileged to host a panel on the future of primary and secondary education in Manitoba. It was an inspiring afternoon.

Our leadoff speaker, Rebecca Chartrand, a long-time indigenous educator and currently executive director of indigenous strategy at Red River College, spoke of emergent learning and of injecting indigenous language, culture and perspective into our education system.

Wendy Bloomfield, an innovative leader, chair of the Seine River School Division and the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, spoke of investing in teachers as teachers adapt more flexibly to the learning styles of individual students. She spoke of evidence‑based strategies, including alternative reading recovery; of strengthening music, arts and drama to inspire students; of enhancing students' emotional, cognitive and physical well‑being; of enhancing early education, including Kids at Play, half‑day learning and half‑day play.

Leah Ross, a lawyer who's found her real passion in teaching, emphasized the need for individual attention to help children with learning disabilities do well.

Ara Dungca, president of Grant Park High school student council in 2012, talked of experiential learning, of continuous feedback and the need to integrate technology to tailor learning to individual students' needs.

Valérie Rémillard, the president of the Éducatrices et éducateurs francophones du Manitoba and representing the Manitoba Teachers' Society, spoke of the need to address the shortage of French immersion and French teachers. The demand for these programs is increasing, and the benefits in our global world of a second language and broader cultural understanding are large.

Thanks to all our presenters and to the many in our audience who added comments and suggestions. We're in an exciting time for learning. We have a big task ahead of us to be sure all Manitobans have the opportunity to learn and achieve their potential.

And thank you to all our teachers on teacher appreciation day today. Merci.

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