Canadian schools relying on uncertified teachers during labour shortage, group warns

The NBTA said as of January, 192 uncertified teachers were working in the anglophone school districts in New Brunswick, compared to 132 in the fall of 2024, not counting substitute teachers. (Pexels)

Classrooms across Canada are seeing more teachers without an education degree and without a teaching certificate. It’s one response to a teacher shortage, and what the Canadian Teachers’ Federation calls a retention and recruitment crisis.

“It just can’t be the answer going forward. We need more teachers,” said Peter Lagacy, president of New Brunswick Teachers’ Association (NTBA).

“We need certified, qualified teachers in our classes. And we need to act urgently to get it done.”

The NBTA is raising concerns, as it highlights that nearly 1,000 of its teachers within the anglophone school districts are expected to retire within three years and about 25 per cent of New Brunswick’s teachers will retire within five years.

The NBTA said as of January, 192 uncertified teachers were working in the anglophone school districts in New Brunswick, compared to 132 in the fall of 2024, not counting substitute teachers. Lagacy estimates that before 2020, the province only had between 30 to 40 uncertified teachers.

In Quebec, where figures exceed those in N.B., the number of uncertified teachers working in public schools has grown from 6,654 in May 2023 to 9,184 in December 2024. Those numbers also do not count substitute positions.

“Every province and territory are using unqualified personnel in schools, everyone from varying degrees,” said Heidi Yetman, president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, who thinks it goes unnoticed because kids are still going to school and schools aren’t closing despite a staff shortage.

Yetman says Canada is dealing with a retention and recruitment crisis and points to the workload and working conditions as a significant part of problem.

“We need to reduce class sizes. We need to have more resource teachers to help students with needs. And we need to give teachers time,” said Yetman.

Uncertified teachers are community members who step in to fill a void in a school. They’re vetted, and their qualifications and backgrounds vary.

Lagacy notes that in New Brunswick, they could now be pursuing a Bachelor of Education, or they could be a community member with a background in a particular subject, and two to four years of post-secondary education.

“We’re thankful they’re there and they’re filling the role because we’d be in dire straits without them. But they certainly need support,” Lagacy said, pointing to the need for a pathway for the uncertified teachers to become certified.

Fast tracking programs

In Nova Scotia, two universities recently announced condensed programs to earn a Bachelor of Education.

Mount Saint Vincent University will launch a 14-month program rather than a 20-month program. Cape Breton University also brought in an 8-month online program this year after initially cancelling the option.

In New Brunswick, St. Thomas University was already offering an 11-month program, but the school is now increasing the number of seats it offers from 90 to 105.

Grant Williams, an associate professor and director of the School of Education at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, said the school is working to add 110 seats for August.

“I think it’s something that needs to be spread across all of the schools of education in New Brunswick, who are training teachers or bringing teachers into the fold,” said Williams.

University of New Brunswick (UNB) also offers a 10-month Bachelor of Education program option.

Mary Gene Saudelli, dean of the faculty of education at UNB said the school is working to recruit more teachers and expedite their entry into the workforce.

“We offer a first-of-its-kind in Canada online Bachelor of Education in early childhood education and are currently developing a BEd for teachers who teach, or want to teach, in the skilled trades, which will include an additional 36 seats,” said Saudelli.

“The program is designed to address the critical shortage of BEd educated skilled trades teachers in K-12 schools in New Brunswick and is designed as a first degree for incoming students.”

Claire Johnson, New Brunswick’s Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, said there is no question that New Brunswick, like many other jurisdictions across the country, is facing a shortage of teachers while also trying to cope with retention difficulties.

Johnson said in the coming weeks, her department will release a strategy to retain and recruit teachers, which she said is one of the top priorities for the government.

“We recognize that one of the best ways to recruit new teachers to the profession is to fix the problems faced by our current teachers. These issues did not appear overnight, and they will not be fixed overnight,” Johnson said.