Important note:  This is the online republication of a paper petition that is being circulated in Manitoba.  As per the general petition guidelines for presenting to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, the paper petition will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

If you have the opportunity, it is important that you please sign both the paper petition and the change.org petition.

1.  Ensuring that teachers have a robust background in the subjects they teach is essential for maintaining high-quality education and fostering well-rounded learning experiences for all Manitoba students.

2. The recent amendments by the Province of Manitoba to the Teaching Certificates and Qualifications Regulation under The Education Administration Act have significantly lowered the standards for subject-area expertise required for teacher certification.

3. These amendments eliminated all subject-area requirements for teacher certification, including major and minor teachable subjects and subject-specific requirements for early-middle years streams.  

4. Specifically, the amendments removed:

• Senior years credit requirements in an approved teachable major and minor;
• Early – middle years credit requirements in an approved teachable major and minor; and
• Early – middle years credit requirements for specific subjects including: math; physical or biological science; English or French; and history and/or geography.

5.  Key stakeholders, such as parents, post-secondary educators outside the faculties of education, and business partners were not consulted about the changes.

6. The removal of subject-specific requirements undermines the educational quality in Manitoba schools by permitting teachers to enter the classroom without sufficient training in core academic areas, thereby compromising the education that Manitoba students receive.

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as follows:

1. To urge the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning to reverse recent amendments to the Teaching Certificates and Qualifications Regulation that weaken subject-area requirements for teacher certification, and to reinstate teachable majors and minors and early-middle years requirements, which are essential for ensuring teachers have strong knowledge in core subject areas. 

2. To urge the Provincial Government to address teacher shortages through alternative measures that uphold rigorous subject-area standards, which are critical for providing quality education to all Manitoba students.