Two in every five candidates who sat the Diploma Teacher Education final examinations did not achieve a passing grade, according to data released by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), raising concern over the quality of trainees entering the teaching profession.
The results show that four out of every ten trainees (40%) who sat the national diploma teacher examinations did not pass. As a result, hundreds of candidates will have to repeat or resit their assessments before they can qualify to join the teaching profession.
Lowered entry grades blamed
Education stakeholders and analysts have pointed to the government's recent decision to lower entry grades for the Diploma Teacher Education programme as the main factor behind the poor performance.
The admission requirements were relaxed to attract more students to teacher training institutions during the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Some educationists argue that the lower entry threshold admitted students who lacked the academic foundation to cope with the demanding diploma coursework and technical assessment requirements.
They say the outcome highlights a mismatch between relaxed admission criteria and the standards maintained by the national examining body.
The affected candidates will undergo remedial coursework as institutions work to address learning gaps ahead of the retake examinations. The Ministry of Education and policy advisers now face pressure to review entry requirements and strengthen support systems to prevent a repeat in future cohorts.
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