June 21, 2015
Province Acts on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report Recommendations with New Plan for Indigenous Education
A new four-point plan for Indigenous education based on recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report will support the meaningful participation of Indigenous people in the social, cultural and economic life of Manitoba, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“With the release of the TRC’s final report, it’s time to acknowledge the truth about what happened in Canada’s residential schools, educate students and move forward in a spirit of reconciliation, mutual understanding and respect,” said Premier Selinger. “We’ve already made significant progress in this area and today I’m announcing a new four-point plan that will help us meet the additional recommendations the commission has set out for us.”
As part of the new plan, the province will:
- release a new First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework document, which will ensure all Manitoba students learn about the histories, cultures, traditional values, contemporary lifestyles and traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, the legacy of residential schools and the significance of treaties;
- introduce legislation this fall to enshrine the new policy framework, and include a requirement for it to be reviewed and renewed every three years;
- update the current provincial curriculum to reflect Indigenous history and perspectives including the ‘60s Scoop; and
- work with post-secondary institutions to develop a strategy for introducing more Indigenous content into bachelor of education courses to support teachers to help students meet the learning outcomes set out in the new policy framework.
The ‘60s Scoop refers to the systematic practice in the 1960s and beyond of placing First Nation, Métis and Inuit children of in Canada for adoption in non-Indigenous homes.
“Educating students about historical wrongs is a step toward mutual respect, reconciliation, and understanding how we as a society can move forward together,” Premier Selinger said.
The First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework sets out a vision for Indigenous education and outlines current and ongoing initiatives to support Indigenous student engagement and high school completion, access to and success in adult learning (including post-secondary and training), meaningful participation in the labour force, and family and community engagement and educational stewardship.
The Province of Manitoba has introduced a number of mandatory outcomes to the Manitoba Social Studies curriculum related to treaty education and residential schools. Topics and outcomes relating to aboriginal history, perspectives and culture are integrated throughout the curriculum. In addition, all teacher-candidates enrolled in bachelor of education programs at Manitoba universities must take three credit hours in Indigenous perspectives.
The full document is available online at www.edu.gov.mb.ca/aed/fnmi_framework/index.html.
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