At the annual State of the Province Address, local high school students from The Chamber’s High School Program voiced their opinion on the state of education in Manitoba.

Over 100 students met with the Province of Manitoba’s Minister of Education and Training, Kelvin Goertzen, and local administration to help decision-makers see what student life is like first hand.

Goertzen says he wishes his voice was heard when he was in school. “When I was in high school, I never had this opportunity.”

In a series of workshops, students analyzed various aspect of education in Manitoba before giving their overall thoughts and opinions to the provincial government and local administration.

A student from Kelvin High School questioned how Manitoba will keep up with the rapidly growing use of technology in the workplace.

“Technology is very important,” says Goertzen on the future of education. “The rudimental and foundational skills are still important too however, we can’t forget about those.”

A student from J.H. Bruns Collegiate wants to meet with officials more often. “I think we should all meet once a month and talk. That can help to provide constant insight into what we are thinking,”

Students were encouraged to approach local administration and the provincial government on any topic relating to education.

“We need to start focusing more on empathy,” says a student from Balmoral Hall School. “We need to take compassion into consideration rather than just academics.”

Another student hopes change will come from meeting with the provincial government. “These are great programs, but we need to be asked more of these questions. They need to take our ideas and put them into action.”

Teachers shared their thoughts on speaking with students. “Networking with kids through events like these is super important,” says one teacher. “Opportunities like these create movements.”

The Province of Manitoba’s Education and Training department will take all of these voices into consideration when doing their education review.