Filipinos propose bilingual school program in Winnipeg

Community organizer Cory Juan is leading the proposal for a bilingual school program.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Filipino families would like to see a kindergarten to Grade 3 bilingual program within the Seven Oaks School Division, a community organizer told a meeting held at Maples Collegiate Tuesday evening, November 28.

The meeting hosted by the Seven Oaks Filipino Employee Association drew 25 people interested in the proposal.

Organizer Cory Juan, a former teacher and former school trustee, told Winnipeg CTV News that she hoped the program would start by the beginning of the next school year.

The Seven Oaks division has an after-school program in Tagalog and several other languages, but it doesn’t have a bilingual program.

The bilingual program would be the first of its kind in the city if implemented. “The instruction would be 40 percent in Filipino and 60 percent in English,” Juan told CTV News.

A Filipino family in Winnipeg. At least 20 Filipino families have expressed interest in a bilingual school program. CIC NEWS

Seven Oaks superintendent Brian O’Leary said the group must show that  enough parents would enroll their children in the program before the school board can hear any kind of proposal.

Juan said there was confusion among parents about how it would work the first time the proposal was presented.  She said there’s more interest this time around. Juan said so far, about 20 families have expressed interest.

About 130 students from kindergarten to grade 6 are enrolled in a Ukrainian bilingual program and 76 students from kindergarten to grade 4 are enrolled in an Ojibwe bilingual program which will be expanded next year to grade 5