About Us
German language education has a long and proud history in Manitoba, with schools offering German as a foreign language since the 1950s. The German-English bilingual program was introduced in the River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) in 1981, offering an unprecedented partial immersion approach to learning German within the prescribed curriculum. A big success ever since, the program has been beloved and appreciated by the community, especially by families with German heritage.
Over the past few years, a number of factors have started to threaten the future of this important program. Fast growing student populations and persistent underfunding has put a great strain on resources. Unfortunately, the German bilingual program has already felt the effects of this trend. While the program has historically been accessible to students all over Winnipeg and surrounding areas, during the 2024-25 school year some out-of-division students were refused admission or continuation in the program, leaving them and their families heartbroken
In response, concerned parents heeded a call for action. The organizations name was chosen to remind of the efforts of an advocacy group during the early years of the program, and follows into their footsteps as an urgent need arises to support, promote and advocate for the English-German bilingual program in Manitoba.
So here we are: Manitoba Parents for German Education (MPGE), a non-profit organization made up of parents who are deeply invested in our children's continued access to high-quality German language education. We are here to ensure that the legacy of German language education in Manitoba continues and thrives for the benefit of future generations of students.
Early Successes
The first year since MPGE was created again has brought significant changes. When the organization began to advocate for the public school program, access to the program had become harder. Students and families that don’t live inside a school’s catchment were not guaranteed participation in the program until the end of their school career. The high-school courses that are offered in German are no longer registered as a program - they are now electives.
Hence, MPGE’s focus in 2024/25 was to inform the public about these changes. Newspapers, radio stations, and many families contacted numerous officials. The voice of the public spoke loud and clear. MPGE offered a platform for numerous concerns to be brought forward. We believe that our work played a significant role in the change that transpired:
Before the end of the school year, a guarantee was given that all in-division students will be granted access to German electives on the high-school level, as long as they commit to taking all available courses that are held in German!
Results of a regular review of the validity of the English-German bilingual program conducted by the River East Transcona School Division (RETSD) show that the program is healthy and stable.
As far as MPGE knows, all students that applied to the program for the 2025/26 school year have been accepted.
Current Focus
The successes of the previous year leave MPGE in a great situation. We can shift our focus for 2025/26 to other parts of our mission. Our efforts this year will be build on the following pillars:
Cultural Events
Building Community
Fostering Relationships
Sharing Opportunities
Enhancing Education
Building Community: MPGE aims to bring together German-speaking families, students and teachers to build a community around the educational programs and opportunities.
Cultural Events: we are planning to be part of existing cultural events that already exist in the Winnipeg area (i.e. Christkindlmarkt, Folklorama) to increase the reach of the organization and grow the audience for the information we are sharing.
Sharing Opportunities: we want to create a database of all available German language learning opportunities in the greater Winnipeg area. We strive to spread awareness and knowledge of programs and institutions that teach German.
Enhancing Educations: the organization will add to the German learning experience by supporting the English-German bilingual programs through donations and additional cultural events where possible.
Fostering Relationships: MPGE wants to grow its relationships with the schools and various educational facilities. We see the importance of maintaining a productive, mutual relationship to cater our support to the needs of the various programs.
The Board
We have aligned our board term with the school calendar to match team availability with the cycle of the educational system. The current members are serving until end of August 2026.
There are a number of open positions. If you would like to support our board in any capacity, or would like to attend our board meetings as Member at Large, please reach out.
Philip Mathejczuk
President
Lorlie Froese
Secretary
Katja Wowryk
Treasurer
Christen Kraychuk
Events & Fundraising
Angela Schellenberg
Member at Large
