Government funding has pushed college hopefuls away from teacher training institutions, opting instead for TVET because they get capitation that finances their education.
By Felix Wanderi
TVET or TTC? This is the dilemma that school leavers not long ago had to ponder before plunging into the world of careers, yet lately there have really been no hard considerations.
TVET is the natural choice for many to the detriment of TTCs.And now Kenya’s teacher training colleges are grappling with low trainee enrollment as most school leavers prefer Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) institutions because of government funding.
This was said during the 40th annual inter-collegiate ball games championship held at Thogoto Diploma Teachers College by the Kenya Teachers Colleges Sports Association (KTCSA) chairman James Muguna, who charged that there is also a gender disparity in the enrollment in favour of women.
He said the net effect on sports is that colleges have had difficulties in team selection, especially in the men’s categories.
“For this reason, the colleges could only raise four teams for this year’s games; soccer and netball for women, and volleyball and handball for men. This is a worrying trend which started last year with the championship having six disciplines,” Muguna said.
He added that those interested in joining TTCs are not qualified as they do not meet the minimum entry requirements.
Muguna said the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) provides for different career pathways, one of which is games and sports, and the realization of this goal is only possible if the teachers are adequately trained and the competencies developed fully.
He challenged the government to design strategies that will not only ensure the teaching career is fully enrolled for, but also increase the capacity of the colleges to train them.
“The government will need to come out more strongly to ensure that the capacity and ability to inculcate skills and competencies is sufficient so that after they complete their courses, they will be able to teach effectively and help the young to develop their talents,” Muguna said.
The theme of this year’s games was “Developing a 21st Century Teacher and Eradicating Drugs and Substance Abuse through Sports”.
Juliana Wangari Kamwenje, a college trainer, said the low enrollment was due to the fact that many want government sponsorships, in addition to men not liking to pursue early childhood education.
“Men do not like to pursue the ECDE training while the TTCs are not favourable since they have no capitation unlike TVETs,” Wangari said.
Wangari said that the government should consider funding the TTCs as it does with other institutions.
“It is important to support youth in TTCs as they are the ones who will go out there after their training to cater for the young ones,” Wangari said.
Duncan Makunga Okwaro, Principal Chesta TTC and chairperson Rift Valley Kenya Teacher Colleges Sports Association, said when the enrollment of students is low, it opens a gap in the colleges’ financial resources.
“Sporting activities in TTCs are financed through the activity fee charged,” observed Okwaro.
Saul Baraza, chairman Kenya Teachers Training Colleges Principals Association, said sports activities help to build the intellectual ability and physical attributes of teachers, as well as assist in talent discovery, which may enable some of them to take up careers in sports.
“This championship has been affected by lack of finances due to the low enrollment in teacher training colleges. Some regions did not hold their championships, and those that did held it for only one day. It is my hope that things will change for the better so that more of the trainees can nurture their talents in the various disciplines,” Baraza said.
Paul Maina, Secretary General of Kenya Teachers Training Colleges Sports Association, said there was a time TTCs population was over 25,000, but the numbers have gone down to 6,000.
He said the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which sets the minimum entry standards, should review the entry requirements to increase enrollment.
