COLUMN: Think Again – Lowering standards for teachers is a bad idea

Applications to education faculties in Manitoba are way up, which could lead to more teachers in classrooms. At first glance, this sounds like good news.

Unfortunately, the NDP government got there by lowering admission standards. Graduating more teachers is good, graduating lower quality teachers is not.

For example, imagine that a young man we’ll call Jerry wants to become a high school physics teacher. So, Jerry applies to a Bachelor of Education program at a Manitoba university.

On his application, Jerry states that he recently completed a Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree with a focus on pastoral ministry from Bob Jones University, a private Christian university in Greenville, South Carolina.

Because he focused on pastoral ministry, Jerry didn’t take any physics courses. In fact, Jerry didn’t study anything taught in Manitoba schools. But Jerry did take plenty of courses in ministry outreach, expository preaching, and pastoral theology.

Now, anyone with an ounce of common sense would say that Jerry should do some serious academic upgrading before becoming a teacher. That’s because Manitoba teachers need at least some expertise in the subjects taught in school.

At least that used to be the case. Thanks to regulatory changes made in the fall of 2024, Jerry can now apply directly to a B.Ed. program and become a high school physics teacher in just two years.

Manitoba used to require prospective teachers to complete a prescribed number of courses in “teachable” subjects, such as math, science, English, and history. This ensured that teachers had a reasonable amount of subject-matter expertise. After all, why allow someone to teach physics if they’ve never taken a single university course in that subject?

However, under the new teacher certification regulations, prospective teachers only need to complete a bachelor’s degree from an accredited post-secondary institution to be admitted into a B.Ed. program. It no longer matters whether their academic training has anything to do with what is taught in Manitoba schools.

And yes, for anyone wondering, Bob Jones University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which makes their degrees just as valid as degrees from the University of Manitoba.

The issue, of course, is not whether one likes Bob Jones University or not. Someone with only a gender studies degree from the University of Winnipeg shouldn’t be able to jump straight into a B.Ed. program either. Nor does it make sense to accept a film studies degree from the University of Manitoba as sufficient preparation for admission to a B.Ed. program.

The reason subject area requirements are important is because we expect teachers to know the subjects taught in school. Math teachers should have expertise in math, physics teachers should be competent in physics, and history teachers should be knowledgeable in history.

In addition, because early and middle years teachers teach a wide variety of subjects, it’s important that they have a breadth of knowledge. That’s why the previous regulations required applicants to these B.Ed. streams to complete a prescribed number of university courses in math, science, English, and history as part of their undergraduate degree.

Lowering the education standards for prospective teachers is a poor way to deal with the teacher shortage. No one would suggest that prospective engineers not be required to take math courses or that future doctors be allowed to skip anatomy. If professional standards mean anything, we need to keep subject prerequisites in place for teachers.

Premier Wab Kinew might think that Jerry’s degree in pastoral ministry from Bob Jones University is sufficient training to become a teacher. Common sense tells us otherwise.

Sadly, the NDP government appears satisfied with mediocrity.

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher and deputy mayor of Steinbach. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.