School division mulls end to trips abroad

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This article was published 13/12/2023 (671 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE future of international field trips is uncertain in Manitoba’s francophone school division as senior administrators examine travel policies and practices in the name of equity.

“There’s value in international travelling, but can we find a way to make sure no children are left behind? This is what we’re working on now,” said Alain Laberge, superintendent of the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.

The division surveyed families in the spring to find out whether they supported local schools continuing to organize educational trips abroad.

The subject — and the divided results — sparked a heated debate that has continued into 2023-24.

Laberge said there was a 50/50 split, with critics expressing concerns about young travellers missing out on instructional time and the price tag associated with tours.

Last year, the average cost of an international school trip in the division was about $1,500 per pupil. While schools provide financial assistance on a case-by-case basis, their capacity is limited.

District leaders, who oversee 24 schools in Manitoba communities ranging from Shilo to Ile des Chênes, have been meeting with teacher and parent groups to discuss the matter. They plan to issue a new administrative directive before the end of the school year.

At minimum, changes will involve a requirement for all trips to happen at spring break so children no longer have to skip class to participate, Laberge said.

The superintendent noted a universal ban on excursions outside of Canada, if decided upon, would not come into effect before September 2025.

Supporters of international travel argue it is invaluable to expose students to different cultures and countries to broaden their horizons and some may never get the opportunity to do so without a school organizing an outing.

“The world is much bigger than Winnipeg — there’s a lot more to see,” said Maxim Munilla, 17.

The Grade 12 student said he’s been fortunate to go on numerous family vacations; his favourite took place in South Africa.

Each of the trips has involved trying new cuisine and learning about history, he said.

As far as the high schooler is concerned, getting rid of international field trips altogether would make travel more inaccessible to students from low-income households. It’s far more costly and time-intensive to plan a trip for an entire family than to send a single student on a school-affiliated excursion, he said.

“Another aspect that can be overlooked sometimes is the certain savoir faire that can be difficult to teach within the confines of a classroom that you’ll experience in a less familiar environment,” said Desirée Pappel, president of the union that represents francophone teachers across the province.

Pappel cited students learning how to navigate a subway in another country as an example of the practical and general life skills they can pick up when forced outside their comfort zone.

The experience of visiting a historic site in person cannot be easily replicated either, said the teacher who once chaperoned a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Oradour-sur-Glane — a French village that was destroyed during the Second World War and has been preserved as a reminder of the Nazis’ brutality.

“Our wish would certainly be that these trips were made accessible to all students for whom they may be cost-prohibitive. Public education is something we want to be accessible to all,” she said.

“A trip that’s related to course content shouldn’t be an exception.”

Grade 11 student Saidou Sacko said DSFM should organize a division-wide fundraiser or find another way to make trips more accessible to students who want to explore the world, “instead of taking away options.”

Daniel Kambo, who also attends Collège Louis-Riel — which frequently organizes international trips for Spanish students to practise the language they are learning in a country where it’s the mother tongue — proposed another solution to reduce barriers: limit educational excursions to Canada.

“It’s more affordable and it helps the students… learn more about the country,” the 16-year-old said, noting many newcomers have little experience in their new home country outside of Winnipeg.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca