Manitoba needs to lower mandatory school age to 6 from 7, education minister says

Manitoba wants to lower the age that children must attend school, and also allow them to go to schools outside of the neighbourhood where their parents or guardians live.

Bill 21, the Public Schools Amendment Act, would lower the compulsory school age to six years of age from seven, and extend the right to attend school to five years old from six, the province said in a Wednesday news release.

Education Minister Nello Altomare says the changes are necessary and would modernize current provincial rules while bringing Manitoba in line with the rest of Canada.

"It reflects the reality of what's happening now in schools," he said.

"School is important for kids. They need to be there. They need to be there with their peers, [to] become part of the community and become something bigger than themselves. We want to make sure they have that opportunity."

Altomare did not answer a question about whether attendance issues at Manitoba's public schools sparked the change. He said it would be up to school divisions to enforce it.

The amendment would also make sure children who live with a "responsible adult" can attend the school in the neighbourhood where they reside, even if legal guardianship has not been transferred, the province's release says.

Under current rules, children have to attend the school in the area where their parents or guardians live, which can create challenges for students who have different arrangements of care.

"With families that are accepting kids into their homes, sometimes they have to provide proof of residence — right now — that they're actually going to be there permanently," Altomare said.

"If that kid is staying with that family member — whatever their address is, if it's in the catchment area — then they can be in that school."

The legislation would also allow temporary residents to send their children to the public school in their neighbourhood, the province says.