State revises college entry requirements for teachers
The gate to the entrance of Kwale Teachers Training College in Bang'a, Kinango Sub County. The term of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform will end next month yet there is a crisis in the enrolment of students in teacher-training colleges (TTCs).
Students aspiring to become primary and secondary school teachers can breathe a sigh of relief after the government revised the entry requirements for teacher training colleges (TTCs).
Previously, to train as a primary school teacher, a student had to have an average grade of C plain but with cluster subjects in mathematics, English and Kiswahili (C) and a C in a science and humanities subject.
However, with the changes, a student must have an average grade of C (plain) without cluster subjects of mathematics, English or Kiswahili. However, to train as a secondary school teacher, a student must have a C plain and a C plus in two subjects.
This is according to recommendations by Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) . The Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals' Association (KTCPA) urged the Ministry of Education to send circulars to TTCs to allow them to adopt the revised entry requirements.
"The revised entry requirements are very important for the country because, for example, a teacher has to master the content of a subject in which you specialise, so you have to have a higher grade in the subject you want to teach. In the beginning, it was still a C plus in the subject. But what has been reduced is from a C plus to a C plain in the average grade," said KTCPA chairman Paul Barasa.
Mr Barasa said all TTCs had adopted the competency-based teacher education programme.
"In the primary teacher training colleges, we have the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education, Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education and Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education and I can confirm that all the private and public TTCs have started these programmes which are up and running," he added. Kenya has a total of 35 public and 28 private TTCs offering Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), Diploma in Primary and Secondary Teacher Education.
Education stakeholders said the revised entry requirements will help TTCs that are struggling with low enrolment to boost the number of pre-service teachers. Some TTCs have enrolments of less than 20 students.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu cited inadequate budgetary allocations, poor payment of fees by parents and low enrolment as challenges facing TTCs.
The CS expressed optimism that the revised admission requirements for TTCs will increase the number of pre-service teachers.
"However, this will come with other challenges to maintain the quality of learning. One of the recommendations of the PWPER mandates the ministry to develop guidelines for a one-year retooling and upgrading programme for teachers who graduated before 2023," the CS said, adding, his ministry has started working on strategies to implement the recommendations of the task force.
Speaking during the annual conference of principals of public and private teacher training institutions at Voyager Hotel in Mombasa, the CS urged teacher educators to produce well-trained teachers who can effectively implement the competency-based curriculum in schools.
