‘We don’t think it’s right’: Sask. Teachers’ Federation responds to job post from private school

WATCH: A private Christian school in Prince Albert has deleted a Facebook post advertising a teaching job with no qualifications required.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) is standing against a private school’s job posting for a teacher with no qualifications required — reinforcing its opposition to public funding for private schools.

Prince Albert’s Elevation Academy deleted a Facebook post looking for a full-time science teacher for Grades 1 to 12.

“A bachelor’s degree or being an accredited teacher is not necessary, but it is much preferred,” the post reads.

CTV News has contacted Elevation Academy for comment.

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“We don’t think it’s right,” STF President Samantha Becotte told CTV News about the ad.

“Anyone who is acting in the role of a teacher needs to be a certified teacher who has the education and background required to provide those services to kids.”

Elevation Academy is receiving $726,000 from the government of Saskatchewan for the 2024-2025 year. It began receiving provincial funding in 2014 when it became a qualified independent school.

“We feel that public dollars should be provided only to public services. Anything that’s provided to an independent school is just siphoning off what should be provided in our public system,” Becotte said.

The Ministry of Education said all schools that receive government funding, including Elevation Academy, are required to follow Saskatchewan curriculum and employ teachers who hold a valid teacher’s certificate.

“The ministry has followed up with Elevation Academy to ensure that all regulations and requirements for independent schools are being followed. The social media ad is no longer posted,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education told CTV News in an email.

Elevation Academy’s website says “some courses are delivered through an individual-determined pace, in which the instruction is given through individual booklets instead of a teacher.”