About Us

The Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint (MCIEB) is an initiative that commits to making excellence in Indigenous education a priority in our province. Our goal is to increase access to education for all Indigenous learners from recruitment to retention and to embed Indigenous knowledge and content within early education and onward into post-secondary levels. We will do this through collaborative evaluation, development and implementation of policies, procedures and practices that will advance Indigenous education and reconciliation.

History

On December 18, 2015 Manitoba’s six universities, three colleges, and the Manitoba School Boards Association signed the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint. A steering committee was then established to develop an implementation plan. The steering committee is made up of representatives of the educational partners who signed the Blueprint, as well as additional educational institutions, Indigenous organizations, and the government of Manitoba.

The committee convenes on issues such as student housing, language revitalization, and anti-Indigenous racism in education. We are exploring strategies to strengthen the movement toward Indigenous language revitalization by reviewing instructor requirement barriers and consulting with community partners. Another priority is to enhance professional development cultural competency offerings for all levels of education, so that staff, faculty, and management have training opportunities in racism, diversity, equity, and cultural safety on an ongoing basis. The MCIEB partners evaluate and make recommendations on policies and practices across school divisions and post-secondary institutions for formal integration of Indigenous knowledge(s), teaching approaches and models, and protocols to ensure a well-informed, respectful implementation.

The guiding principles for the MCIEB are based on celebrating Indigenous student and educator success, discovering and sharing best approaches and programs to meet the diverse needs of Indigenous students, and supporting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Manitoba through partnerships built on mutual respect.

A special thank you to Dr. Michael F.B. Nesbitt, whose support has made the Manitoba Collaborative Indigenous Education Blueprint possible.