The province is pledging an additional $100 million in education spending as part of its 2021 budget, Education Minister Cliff Cullen announced Thursday.
Cullen said the newly announced funding means the provincial government is providing more than $260 million toward school improvement projects, as well as moving its goal of building 20 new schools up by five years.
Four of those new schools have already been opened, and Cullen said the funding could bump the completion of the last new schools up to 2025 from 2030.
“Our government is advancing education by improving the classroom experience for our students and educators by providing new schools on a priority basis and making substantial investments to improve existing schools,” Cullen said.
“As the province moves ahead with its Better Education Starts Today strategy, placing our education system’s focus on students first, we have to ensure the environment in which they learn will help students succeed.”
The increase in education capital, Cullen said, will also be used to increase replacements and upgrades to ventilation and electrical systems at existing Manitoba schools, as well as funding initiatives outside of the core classroom, including updates to libraries, and sports and vocational programs.
“These critical investments will ensure that more students have the opportunity to learn and grow in high-quality learning environments close to home in the communities that they live and play in, especially in growing communities,” Cullen said.
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