In wake of substitute teacher shortage, Manitoba school divisions are hiring uncertified teachers
Some rural Manitoba school divisions are advertising substitute teaching positions where a teaching degree or certificate is not required in an attempt to address a shortfall.
Sunrise School Division and Brandon School Division are two divisions that have posted jobs online looking for substitute teachers. In Sunrise’s posting, the division states they are “Looking for people with a variety of skills and backgrounds who are willing to work with students.”
Later in the application, it states that “a teaching degree is not required to pursue this opportunity.” A current criminal record check and child abuse registry check are required for the positions.
Cathy Tymko, superintendent of the division, says they look for fully certified teachers, but notes there is a shortage.
“Our top priority is finding certified teachers for classrooms. Our second priority is looking for people who have a limited teaching permit. And then in the absence of those first two, we are looking for folks that have either combinations of experience, or potentially a degree in an area that might help them be able to lend to a classroom,” she said. “We call them non-certified teachers, and they are coming in as a substitute to deliver planned lessons or a designed teaching that a certified teacher has prepared for them.”
Limited teaching permits are typically given to education students in the final year of their degree to teach when they aren’t in class.
Tymko said the process has always been in place in the division, and they want to hire certified teachers first as substitutes before going to limited teaching permits and non-certified teachers. She said situations such as retirements and changes in the workforce following the pandemic have lead to shortages on the division’s substitute teacher list.
The Brandon School Division has also seen a shortage of substitute teachers.
Superintendent Mathew Gustafson said in November 2021, the division had 161 teachers. It saw an increase in 2022 to 211, but he said there is still a shortage.
“It's probably the same trend that other industries and occupations and professions are seeing, that there is a shortage of labour in different industries, and education isn't exempt from that,” he said.
For the Brandon School Division, applications are open for uncertified substitute teachers, with the division saying it will apply for a limited teaching certificate on behalf of the applicant if they don’t have one.
“We've worked with different community organizations to try to present the number of opportunities that might exist for people moving into the community,” Gustafson said. “We've looked at trying to find different ways of getting our information out around postings. And then trying to increase the number of limited teaching permits.”
Gustafson said ideally, they want to hire certified teachers as substitutes before going to people with limited permits or uncertified teachers.
Wayne Ewasko, Manitoba’s minister of education, said the province has been working closely with education partners to address the shortage.
He added he applauds the school divisions for thinking “outside the box.”
“We’re working with (school boards) on different things on what we can do to not only retain but also to recruit (teachers). I know also that we’ve been working with other departments in government to then talk about our post-secondary partners on how we can get more educators into the system and more seats,” Ewasko said in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg.
The minister noted they are also working to recognize the qualifications of people from other countries or provinces to see if they can also get into the school system.
-With files from CTV News’ Devon McKendrick.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.