Help with matting

So at my school (I'm in the 10th grade) we have a dog grooming program for the teachers where agriculture students will bathe brush and trim your dog for free, and this one teacher brought in their male black poodle mix (as far as I can tell), he was on the grooming table and his mats are so thick you can barely see his skin, there is matted fur under layers of matted fur, it's especially bad on his chest and he dislikes his paws being touched they gave him a bath and he was incredibly dirty and our instructor told us to de mat him because the teacher that brought him in said she didn't want his hair cut and he was "a little matted" and she planned to cord him sort of like a komondor. But this dog is matted to the skin, all over. What can I do to help him, right now we're just trying to get the mats out with combs and slickers and conditioner and he's been a really good boy and very compliant. I feel really helpless because I know this dog needs to be shaved for his health and comfort and de matting is a really long process

What can I do? My instructor is not receptive to any suggestion of shaving