By Roy Hezron
The second intake of trainee teachers to Public Diploma Primary Teachers College (DPTC) that was to take place this month has been postponed to a later date.
A circular from the Ministry of Education to the Principals of DPTCs informed them that the process will proceed after necessary logistics are completed.
“We shall inform you when the exercise will be done once we are through with the necessary logistics,” reads the message to the Principals.
At the same time, the Ministry has advised the Private Teachers Colleges to wait until next month to be told the way forward on admitting new students into the new Diploma programme.
That implies that private colleges might wait longer to start admitting students since there are no ongoing admissions.
A total of 24 Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs) had expected to receive students in the second intake to take place later this month.
Only six colleges, Machakos, Thogoto, Shanzu, Egoji, Baringo and Migori received trainees in the first intake that saw 1400 distributed in the March recruitment.
They were expected to have joined their respective colleges in June 2, 2021.
The second intake in the Diploma in Primary Teacher and ECDE process began June 16, 2021 to get enough students for the Teacher Training Colleges which have been renamed Public Diploma Primary Teachers College (DPTC).
The government had targeted to place about 7, 000 students in 30 Public TTCs across the Country but only six received students in the first intake.
The pre-service teacher trainees are expected to be trained on the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) when they join their respective public teacher colleges.
Selected candidates had been expected to report on July 27, 2021 after recently released guidelines said all trainees for Public Diploma Primary Teacher Training Colleges and Early Childhood Development Education must report on that date.
The new entry grade has been raised from C- (minus) to C (plain) for both the courses for KCSE certificate holders, with C (plain) in English or Kiswahili, Mathematics, and any Humanity and a Science subject.
This is a shift from the previous norm where those who had a mean grade of C- (minus) were taken directly with no specification being attached to any subject.
However candidates with disabilities and who have a KCSE mean grade of C- (minus) will be given priority in the recruitment process that has kicked off countrywide.
Trainees will be in college for three years in the new curriculum unlike before where they used to study for only 2 years.
They will also go through a three month micro-teaching course commonly known to many as teaching practice, which will also apply to those taking DECTE.
The Primary Teacher Education (PTE) commonly known as P1 Certificate has been renamed Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE).
