A public outcry has erupted from P1 teachers who pursued Bachelor’s degree in Education (primary option) after being left out in the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) upgrading programme sponsored by the World Bank.
The Teachers have raised concerns about not being recognized by the Commission to benefit from the upgrading programme, urging TSC to clarify the way forward as they now have idle degrees and feel demoralized.
TSC announced a major upgrade programme for P1 teachers, aimed at boosting staffing levels in Junior Schools and improving the quality of education under the Competency-Based Education (CBE).
Under the programme, P1 teachers with KCSE mean grade of C (plain) and C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects are going to upgrade to Diploma and be posted to Junior Schools to fill the current staffing gaps, while those with KCSE mean grade of C+ (plus) with C+ (plus) in two teaching subjects will be upgraded to degrees under the World Bank sponsored project.
Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has welcomed the upgrading programme of P1 teachers, with Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno calling on the country’s Qualifications Authority (the Kenya National Qualifications Authority) to step in and help to address the riddle of the P1 teachers with degrees in primary school option so that they can be incorporated in the upgrade programme.
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“What we should be asking is whether the institutions that offered those degrees with a primary option had them sanctioned for employment by teacher-employing bodies. There should be a streamlined way to accommodate such graduates. The Qualifications Authority should review and approve those degrees, determine their relevance, and identify where they can fit. If an upgrade is needed, it should be incorporated since this is a continuous process. The upgrade programme is good, and that is what we have been fighting for,” said Otieno.
The upgrade programme is expected to address long-standing staffing gaps in junior schools, which have faced pressure since the introduction of CBE. It will also provide long-awaited career progression opportunities for thousands of P1 teachers who have stagnated in the same job group for years.
By Our Reporter
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