PCs Using Phony Data to Close Centre Used by nearly 10,000 Educators

March 19, 2019

Winnipeg - Manitoba Liberal Leader and MLA for St. Boniface, Dougald Lamont, says the Pallister Government is using phony numbers to justify closing the Manitoba Curriculum Support Centre (MCSC) - an educational resource. The government's own documents show nearly 10,000 teachers depend on it.

Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen claimed the centre was being "under-utilized," when data from Goertzen's own 2018 Manitoba Education and Training Annual Report show that 9,752 or 65% of Manitoba educators are active users of the centre.

Lamont said it shows the Pallister government is putting short-term cuts ahead of teachers and students across the province who use the materials, especially remote schools where internet service is weak or unavailable.

"This really shows what a sham the K-12 review of education in Manitoba is going to be, because you have a government that already ignores its own numbers and is delivering surprise cuts to valuable services - all before the review is seriously underway," said Lamont.

Goertzen has justified the change by saying the centre will shift to providing services by Internet, which Lamont said made little sense when parts of Manitoba are either unserved or underserved by the Internet. The Town of Flin Flon, for example, has no high-speed internet, and many other towns have inadequate service.

Lamont said teachers across the province were shocked by the closure. Manitoba Liberals support educators calling on the government to reverse the decision.

"Education is the single most important leveler in our society, so long as everyone has the same access to the same tools and opportunities. But instead of building, this government is actively undermining teachers and students across the province," said Lamont.

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Backgrounder:

Page 24 of the 2018 Manitoba Education and Training Annual Report:

https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ar_met_1718/report.pdf

• A total of 9,752 active patrons (65 per cent of Manitoba educators), of these; 46 per cent of new patrons are rural/northern educators and 44 per cent of all patrons are rural/northern educators

• 100,025 resources loaned including books, DVDs, kits, models, games, pictures/posters and audio CDs

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