[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Yeah, that wasn't really my point though. If someone wants to go to postsecondary and has the ability to do so, but is being prevented from doing so for reasons beyond their control, then we should be doing what we can to get them there.

I'm aware that your point was not that post-secondary entrance is the only factor that K-12 education should be concerned with, but it should be remembered that it is only one of a variety of benefits. It's a very easy topic for a discussion to get derailed by into missing other major components of the value of having diversity among K-12 teachers. K-12 schools are not just about getting into university.

The goal of the policy, which has been in development since 2012, is to ensure that graduates of the U of M education program help to create a more diverse teaching force in the province, representing the “cultural, ethnic, regional and social diversity of Manitoba.”

“Manitoba is a community of great diversity and as the Faculty of Education, we need to be making a more concerted effort to ensure that our teachers reflect that diversity,” says Melanie Janzen, associate dean, undergraduate programs

Janzen says the policy is an important step for the faculty because it’s an attempt to change the makeup of the Manitoba teaching force so that it better reflects the students and families served by teachers across the province.

“In addition,” she says, “the policy attempts to address the social and historic inequities faced by marginalized groups. For example, Manitoba’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit have faced tremendous historical injustices that have not allowed them the same opportunities as other Manitobans. This policy attempts to address those injustices.”

article from their website