Private and public Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) risk closing down if the government doesn’t re-introduce certificate courses in Primary Teacher Education(P1) and Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE).
This has been said by the Kenya National Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET).
The Union’s National Chairman Lawrence Otunga told Education News that relevant bodies should reintroduce certificate courses for both PTE and ECDE.
He warned that both Private and Public colleges will be closed down due to lack of trainees following the raising of entry grades and enrolling only diploma students.
“We warned them not to interfere with the entry grades for ECDE courses but they ignored us. What followed was a low and poor rate of enrolment in those institutions. Now they’ve revised it to C plain without cluster subjects. C plain for both ECDE and DPTE (Diploma in Primary Teacher Education),” said Otunga.
“Honestly, with poor management of ECDE in most counties, why would a person who at the same time qualifies for DPTE go for Diploma in ECDE? With the primary option, they’re assured of being employed by TSC but in most counties, unless you volunteered in a public school for decades, or well connected to a politician, or can part with good money, it will take a miracle for one to get employed,” he added.
Otunga stated further that relevant bodies should also learn to involve and consult KUNOPPET and other unions before making such sensitive decisions, warning that in the next ten or more years, there will be a serious lack of enough teachers in schools.
“Production of new Teacher trainees has so far been seriously affected. Let them re-think,” warned Otunga.
The Ministry of Education recently reviewed the entry grades for the new Diploma in Teacher Education course in particular for Primary Teacher Education and ECDE to C plain in Kenya Certificate in Secondary Education (KCSE) without cluster combination of famous 5 C’s in a move to attract more students to apply.
By Roy Hezron
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