By Kipkemboi Tororitich
Teachers Service Commisson (TSC) has announced changes to the Degree requirements for the Bachelor of Education programmes offered in Kenyan universities, Education News has learnt.
This is contained in a communiqué by Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) chief executive Agnes Mercy Wahome detailing the proposals that the TSC had forwarded. She wrote to all vice chancellors of both public and private universities in the country.
“As part of the qualification proposal to undertake an education programme at any university, undergraduates will now be expected to take three subjects, two major and one minor, which they will teach in school upon graduating,” the CEO clarified.
Currently, Bachelor of Education students study only two subjects whether they are on the Art, languages, technical or Science areas.
The aim of adding a subject to the workload of prospective teachers, Wahome said, is to fully utilize the teacher and rationalize costs in line with the CBC curriculum.
However, the entry grade for an education degree has been retained at C+ and B- in the preferred teaching subjects, meaning students applying for the course will have also scored a B- in the third subject of choice.
To teach technical subjects, students must enroll for at least two subjects in the technical field, which they must have the minimum criteria of a B- score. In addition, their score in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics should be a C plain.
Another exception is Science education, where students will be required to have B minuses in only two teaching subjects, although a C plain still suffices in English and Math to be considered for the course.
All other teaching areas will require a minimum B- qualification in preferred subjects, as well as a C plain in English, Kiswahili and Math.
“Mandatory courses that will be undertaken by all are the professional disciplines such as psychology, education foundation and management, curriculum development, mentorship, and research, among others,” added the KUCCPS boss.
They will also be required to undergo a two-term practicum, which is roughly six months long, to cumulatively bring the years of study to five and a half years. Bachelor of Education undergraduates currently take only four years to complete their course.
The changes are aimed at preparing teachers to pass knowledge to CBC learners from Grade 7 in junior secondary to Grade 12 in senior secondary according to the pathways anticipated by the CBC Taskforce.
