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The College Council is walking the talk on removing barriers for internationally educated teachers.
by Liz Papadopoulos, OCT
Thumbs up. Applause. Even tears of relief.
These were the reactions we received during a recent meeting with internationally educated teachers when we informed them that College Council had voted to remove the requirement to teach for one school year as a condition of permanent certification.
Teachers educated outside Ontario no longer have to fulfill the 194-day teaching requirement.
Council approved the final draft of the new Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation at its meeting on March 26th.
Previously, College members who completed their teacher education outside Ontario received interim certification with a condition requiring them to teach in Ontario schools for 194 days.
Having to amass 194 days of teaching experience can seem an insurmountable barrier – especially if you’re piecing together supply teaching assignments to do it. It was even more difficult for teachers living in rural areas.
Finding first-time work as a teacher these days is hard enough without barriers to full certification.
Doing our part
The College has streamlined its certificates and changed the number of certificates of qualification from six to two. The changes took effect this spring following changes to the Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation.
The Certificate of Qualification and Registration provides proof of your registration with the College and is your annual licence to teach in Ontario.
The consolidation of the six different certificates that the College used to issue into two simplifies the process and minimizes barriers for applicants, particularly those from other jurisdictions. It makes certification information more transparent and accessible for teachers, parents and students.
When individuals are accepted as members, the College sends either a Certificate of Qualification and Registration (CQR) or a Transitional Certificate of Qualification and Registration (TCQR) to prove that they are registered.
The CQR is for College members who completed their teacher education program and other registration requirements.
The TCQR is for College members who are still completing their professional education and are enrolled in a College-accredited multi-session program.
These changes honour the credentials that our members have worked hard to achieve.
The new, streamlined, two-certificate system not only aligns the College with the labour mobility agreement among provinces, it emphasizes that everyone who holds a College certificate is qualified to teach in Ontario’s publicly funded schools.
Either certificate entitles the bearer to apply immediately for teaching positions, whether or not further terms, conditions and limitations are required.
The recent changes your Council has made to certification means that any teacher certified to teach in another Canadian province or territory will now be recognized as qualified to teach in Ontario.
These changes honour the credentials that our members have worked hard to achieve.
Under the spirit of labour mobility and the agreement on internal trade, I expect that other provinces will see that removing barriers for certification is a good practice and will welcome Ontario teachers, as we do teachers from their jurisdictions.
The new Teachers’ Qualifications Regulation is full of good news for College members and includes dozens of new Additional Qualification courses that will help us better prepare ourselves for the classrooms of tomorrow.
I’ll have more to say about these AQs in future issues.
