Poverty and Education Task Force
Establish a Poverty and Education Task Force to identify actions to remove barriers to participation and engagement in learning.
What's New
On February 24, 2023, Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning released both the Final Report of the Poverty and Education Task Force ( 2.2 MB) and the Targeted Engagement on Poverty and Education Consultant Report (
915 KB). The government has committed to an ongoing review of recommendations outlined in the Final Report.
The Commitment
The Poverty and Education Task Force, in connection with Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, examined linkages between poverty and education, and will support the implementation of strategies to improve educational, and well-being outcomes for students, particularly those who are living with low income.
The key responsibilities were to examine the impact of poverty on education and put forth recommendations and actionable strategies with an initial focus on:
- food access and security
- access to technology, transportation, and other socio-economic barriers that impact participation
- outcomes and continuity of education for children in care
What This Means for Manitobans
The final report, informed by community engagement, consultation, input from Task Force members and relevant research includes recommendations at the school, school division, community, and government level. Solutions will support students and families who are affected by poverty to ensure equitable access to education
What We’ve Done
Since the fall of 2021, the Task Force on Poverty and Education engaged more than 2,000 youth, community members and stakeholders through targeted surveys, virtual and in-person sessions. The Task Force collaborated with an Indigenous-led consultant firm to ensure consultations respected and included Indigenous communities and voices. The Task Force also collaborated with several government departments on a variety of issues related to poverty and education, including providing advice to the Province on the implementation of free menstrual products in schools initiative, which resulted in an agreement to have 3.3 million products donated annually over the next three years.
Next Steps:
In addition to committing to an ongoing review of the report recommendations, the government also committed to the following three recommendations:
- Review in-school meal programs and partnerships to improve access and ensure equitable distribution of funding and resources.
- Planning for the review of school-based nutrition programs will be done in collaboration with our education partners.
- Develop and implement a provincial anti-racism policy for all school divisions as a means of providing additional pathways to students living in poverty to report and reduce incidents of racism and discrimination.
- To disrupt the compounded effects of poverty and racism on student learning and success, Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning will develop a clear anti-racism policy directive that will set expectations and guidance to ensure anti-racism measures are actively in place in all Manitoba schools.
- Expand the Community Schools Program to include additional schools within high poverty communities.
- The Community Schools Program is one highly-effective initiative that supports youth and families who live in communities with low income by providing community-based, wraparound holistic approaches. An additional $595,000 will expand the capacity of five additional schools to strategically gather and deploy school-community services and resources as hubs within their communities, bringing these services to a total of 41 schools across the province.
Advisory Bodies: Poverty and Education Task Force
News Releases
- Manitoba government Releases Final Report of Poverty and Education Task Force (February 24, 2023)
- Manitoba government Announces Free Menstrual Products In Schools (September 15, 2022)
- Province Launches Community Engagement and Consultations for Poverty and Education Task Force (February 17, 2022)
- Province Announces Poverty and Education Task Force (September 17, 2021)
Reports
- Final Report of the Poverty and Education Task Force, February 2023 (
2.2 MB)
- Targeted Engagement on Poverty and Education, Consultant Report, February 2023 (
915 KB)
Related Documents
- Poverty and Education Task Force Executive Summary, February 2023 (
291 KB)
- Manitoba Report on Poverty and Education Presentation, February 2023 (
1 MB)
Poverty and Education Task Force Engagement Infographics
- Poverty and Education Task Force Engagement (
177 KB)
- High School Student Survey (
30 KB)
- In-Person Sessions (
89 KB)
- Virtual Stakeholder Sessions (
132 KB)