students at a table talking Provincial Attendance Policy and Action Plan

Implement a provincial attendance policy and an action plan to support student engagement and presence.

What's New

In January 2023, a public education campaign, “School. Keep Going.” was launched to raise awareness of the benefits of regular school attendance. The Safe and Caring Schools: A Policy Directive and Action Plan to Enhance Student Presence and Engagement was also released in January.


The Commitment

The Manitoba government is committed to improving student attendance and engagement in schools. An Attendance Task Force was established to work with stakeholders to develop strategies to identify and remove barriers to improve student presence and engagement in schools.


What This Means for Manitobans

Being present in class is a strong predictor of student success. Going to school regularly helps children and youth do well academically, feel better about themselves, develop healthy lifestyle habits, avoid unsafe behaviours, and graduate from high school.


What We’ve Done

  • Broad engagement with stakeholders was completed to refine the provincial Attendance Policy Directive and Strategy. This was coordinated by the new School and Community Support Unit within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning’s Inclusion Support Branch.
  • March 2023 was proclaimed Student Presence and Engagement Month.
  • On January 16, 2023, Safe and Caring Schools: A Policy Directive and Action Plan for Student Presence and Engagement launched.
  • On January 16, 2023, a public education campaign, School. Keep Going. launched.

Next Steps

  • Information sessions to support schools and school divisions with aligning their policies with the policy directive.

Advisory Bodies: Attendance Task Force

News Releases

Reports