Students across Alberta and British Columbia are increasingly being taught by people who are not certified teachers, as education divisions struggle with staffing shortages and less qualified educators. Education leaders have warned uncertified teachers should remain a temporary measure — not a permanent solution. Jason Shilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said Alberta’s Education Act requires teachers to be certified, but shortages have led to greater use of letters of authority, which allow individuals who are not fully certified to teach in specific circumstances.
“As you travel north, the pressure points get higher,” Shilling said, adding letters of authority have been used more frequently in recent years, particularly in communities where finding qualified teachers for specialized positions, trades courses and other areas can be more difficult. The concern, he says, is ensuring the practice remains a short-term tool. “We do want to avoid this does not become a regular practice,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Education refused to disclose the amount of certified teachers vs. uncertified teachers in both the B.C. Peace Region’s School Division 59, and at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
In March, School Division 59 board of trustees chair Chad Anderson cited an Enhancing Student Learning Report of 2023-24 as the most up to date count the division had for certified vs. uncertified teachers. “We hired our largest number of uncertified teachers to date to fill classroom teacher roles, which was approximately 20% of our staffing,” reads the 2023/2024 report.
“We don’t publish more specific or frequent information than that,” Anderson said at the time. But Shilling argued school divisions are required to provide yearly breakdowns of the use of letters of authority, which must be renewed annually and reviewed by the province. In British Columbia, the B.C.
Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) said the same pressures of staffing shortages are being felt, particularly in northern and rural communities, but that their position is clear: “Students deserve consistent access to fully trained, certified teachers leading their classrooms.” Meanwhile in Alberta, Shilling said many individuals receiving letters of authority are often already working toward becoming certified teachers, including students completing education degrees, practicums or final requirements before full certification. “It is a lot of our letters of authority, on the way to their certification, learning already,” he added. The goal, he said, is also about helping communities keep those future teachers once they complete their education.
Alberta also uses classroom supervisors in some situations when a certified teacher cannot be found. But Shilling said those positions are different from teachers and cannot provide instruction tied to curriculum. “If you cannot get a qualified teacher to fill in, a classroom supervisor can attend, but cannot teach,” he said, adding teacher assistants and education assistants can also support classrooms, but are not certified teachers.
The BCTF said they have called on the B.C. Ministry of Education and Child Care to publicly track and report figures related to teacher shortages, including the number of uncertified teachers working in classrooms. “Transparent reporting would help parents, educators, and the public understand the scope of the staffing challenges and ensure policy decisions are based on accurate information,” it stated.
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