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Province Welcomes Report on Oversight of Post-Secondary Institutions

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Work Already In Progress to Address Recommendations: Eichler

The Manitoba government, along with Manitoba’s publicly funded post-secondary institutions, are welcoming a report by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) that will help guide efforts to shape the province’s post-secondary education system, Economic Development and Training Minister Ralph Eichler announced today.

 

“We are pleased to say we’re already hard at work to build an advanced education system that will that will leverage Manitoba’s strengths, grow the economy and deliver a brighter future for our province,” said Eichler. “This report will continue to guide our work together with post-secondary institutions and help strengthen governance and accountability.”

 

The OAG report into Oversight of the Post-Secondary Institutions covers a lengthy period from 2010 to January 2018. Eichler noted the province had already started significant work in many of the noted areas prior to the report’s release. 

 

The report provides 22 recommendations to improve system-wide oversight of Manitoba’s post-secondary education system. Improving governance and accountability is a high priority, and the province is already working collaboratively with institutions to strengthen the post-secondary sector, the minister said.  

 

Work is underway to address many of the recommendations to improve accountability, such as:

• providing the first-ever mandate letters to publicly funded colleges and universities in December 2019 to provide strategic direction;

• establishing the Premier’s Economic Opportunities Advisory Board post-secondary education sub-committee to strengthen alignment with the province’s labour market needs and priorities;

• collaborating with institutions on the student-level centralized data model to track student success, build data capacity and intelligence, and improve measuring and reporting on outcomes;

• developing an outcomes-based funding approach for Manitoba's post-secondary education system, an essential component of an accountability framework;

• tabling The Summary Budgeting Act to ensure value for public dollars and enhance oversight of entities that report to government, such as universities and colleges;

• promoting fiscal accountability by having government’s other reporting entities present directly to Treasury Board ministers, a practice that has been helpful in other jurisdictions, and the minister noted this began with the University of Manitoba’s first-ever presentation to Treasury Board for 2020-21 estimates;

• maintaining regular, on-going engagement with post-secondary institutional leaders across the system and at different levels including regular budget meetings;

• holding in-depth consultation and board governance training with post-secondary partners on board governance, responsibilities, composition and appointments;

• planning to create a central public servant-led secretariat to improve ongoing training, reporting, processes and supports for all of Manitoba’s boards including post-secondary; and

• strengthening internal processes to ensure lieutenant governor-in-council board appointments occur in a timely manner.

 

“We look forward to improving Manitoba’s post-secondary education system and advancing our shared goals of increasing positive outcomes for students, building the skilled workforce needed to drive our economy forward and promoting a high quality of life for all of our residents, while ensuring financial accountability,” said Eichler.

 

The province is working to develop a Skills, Talent and Knowledge Strategy, which meets the OAG’s key recommendation of consultation with institutions and key stakeholders to develop strategic objectives and desired priority outcomes.

 

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