As Manitoba schools warn about a teacher shortage, an internationally trained educator and her family are bemoaning the bureaucracy required to become fully certified and unclear instructions that have left them in limbo.

Manitoba Education’s certification unit is refusing to grant an experienced computer science teacher accreditation to work on a permanent basis despite a miscommunication about her outstanding credits and a university dean vouching for her skills.

“Somebody has to apply some logic or reasoning or something to that unit. To me, this is bureaucracy at its worst,” said Dalbir Bains, whose wife has spent more than five years working towards becoming a certified teacher.

Semantics and officials’ unwillingness to consider the unique situation have caused unnecessary stress and delays, Bains said.