Teacher Bursaries
Official Minority Language Teacher Awards
The Official Minority Language Teacher Awards are funded by the Government of Canada’s Official Languages in Education Program and by Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning.
Objective
To encourage teachers who hold a Manitoba teaching certificate to pursue courses which are either pedagogical in nature or designed to improve French-language competencies. These courses must be offered between April 1 and August 31.
Eligible Courses and Programs
| Courses or Programs offered at the Université de Saint-Boniface (USB) | Duration | Amount of the Bursary |
|---|---|---|
|
French Immersion for Teachers (FIT) Information relative to the FIT program will be available at the beginning of March. |
3 weeks in July |
$800 covers tuition fees (The bursary will be paid directly to USB on the teacher’s behalf) |
| Mini-FIT (Mini-French Immersion for Teachers) - offered remotely by Zoom. | Offered over two weekends in the spring (one in April and the other in May, from Thursday night to Saturday) |
$350 covers tuition fees (The bursary will be paid directly to USB on the teacher’s behalf) Plus: $125 per Friday, for the two Fridays of the program to help cover substitute costs, if needed (The USB will reimburse the school division for substitute costs.) |
| Credit courses offered in the spring and summer through the Faculté d’éducation et des études professionnelles. | spring and summer courses |
$300 per course (to a maximum of $1,200 per year) |
| Programs offered in French | Duration | Amount of the Bursary |
|---|---|---|
| Association canadienne d’éducation de langue française (ACELF) | one week in July in Québec City | $1,000 for the summer course |
| French Immersion Program (out-of-province)* | minimum two weeks duration |
$300 per week (to a maximum of $1,200 per year) |
* The following post-secondary institutions offer programs for teachers and/or students who want to improve French language skills or who want to learn new methods for teaching French. They are offered in Québec and New Brunswick. The list below does not contain all available programs. Additional potential programs may be proposed but must be approved.
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université Laval
- Université de Montréal
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université de la Colombie-Britannique
- Université de Moncton
Eligibility
An applicant must:
- have a valid Manitoba teaching certificate or be a graduate from a faculty of education by the end of the current school year
- teach in French in a Français or French Immersion school, or teach a French course (English Program), or be designated by a school division as a potential teacher of French
-
or
- be a coordinator, consultant, librarian or member of the administrative personnel at a school offering the Français or French Immersion Program or French courses (English Program)
- be registered in a course or program, offered between April 1 and August 31 as listed under the “Eligible Courses and Programs” section
An applicant must also:
- be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- be a “Manitoba resident”, that is, having lived in Manitoba for 12 consecutive months ending the day before the first day of the program and having resided in Manitoba for a purpose other than a study program
Payment of the Bursary
Courses offered by the Université de Saint-Boniface
At the beginning of September, the Coordinator of Official Language Programs will receive the confirmation from the Registrar at the USB that the bursary applicant has completed
the course. A cheque will be sent to each eligible applicant by regular mail at the end of September.
Out-of-Province Courses
Teachers must fill out the “Verification by the Registrar” and have it completed by the Registrar of the institution. The online link to this form can be found in
the email confirming the applicants’ eligibility for the bursary. The completed “Verification by the Registrar” can be submitted by fax or by email to the
Coordinator of Official Language Programs.
FIT and Mini-FIT Programs
The bursary will be paid directly to the Université de Saint-Boniface on the teacher’s behalf.
Application Deadline
Mini-FIT: March 31
Out-of-province courses and courses offered at l’Université de Saint-Boniface: April 30
FIT: May 15
“Verification by the Registrar” form – to be submitted following completion of the out-of-province courses or courses offered at l’Université de Saint-Boniface: August 31
Bursary applications received after their deadlines will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.
How to Apply
*Note: The application forms for spring and summer courses 2025 will be available on February 3, 2025.
Complete all sections of the online application form.
Please be sure to print the application for your records.
Additional required documents
-
For out-of-province courses only
Provide your acceptance letter from the institution for your out-of-province course or program*.
* If you have not yet received your acceptance letter, you can submit your application form without it. Once you have received the letter, you must forward it in order to complete your file.Please submit the acceptance letter by email at languesofficielles@gov.mb.ca
-
For students graduating from a faculty of education in the current school year
Provide a photocopy of your diploma or a photocopy of your Manitoba teaching certificate, once you have received it.
Please submit this document by email at languesofficielles@gov.mb.ca
Additional Information
The department will review the application and notify the candidate by email of the status of the application within 2 weeks of the deadline.
If the number of eligible applications received by the deadline exceeds the budget for the current year, bursaries will be awarded by random draw.
Applications received after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list by date received. They will only be considered when all other requests are processed and if there are funds still available in the current bursary budget.
Any change in the program of study must be reported immediately to the Provincial Coordinator at the Bureau de l’éducation française.
The Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning may cancel or reduce the amount of a bursary, or require a recipient to reimburse all or part of any bursary, if there is misrepresentation or error on the bursary application or for any other circumstance the Minister considers sufficient.
For further information, contact:
Provincial Coordinator of Official Languages Programs
Bureau de l'éducation française
Phone: 204-945-6916
Email: languesofficielles@gov.mb.ca
