Teacher educators have welcomed the revised entry grades for Diploma teachers in both Primary and Secondary teacher Education as per the recent recommendations in education reforms .
They said this will go a long way in ensuring that the country has adequate teaching human resources.
Speaking during Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals Association (KTCPA) Annual Conference in Mombasa, KTCPA Chairman Saul Barasa said currently the number of teachers being trained in Teachers Training Colleges was low.
“I wish to single out the revised entry grade in both DPTE and DSTE for appreciation. This will go a long way in ensuring that our country has adequate teaching human resources that are well-equipped for the task ahead.
In the past the entry requirement for teachers’ training was C plus but now it has been reduced to C plain mean grade with a C plus in two teaching subjects which was quite a difficult combination to achieve” explained Barasa.
According to a majority of principals at the Conference, initially getting a student to qualify for teaching was difficult since they were required to get a C in Kiswahili, English, Mathematics, One science Subject and one humanity subject.
“That was a very difficult combination for a primary school teacher. It was a very complicated option even for a diploma in secondary option.
With the changes it will be a C plain but without any cluster of subjects, meaning it will create a room for more teachers to join colleges,” explained the Principal of St, Agustine TTC, Embu Father Joseph Njiru.
Barasa however said the sector is facing an acute shortage of teachers’ educators for technical subjects such as Home Science, Music, Art and Craft and more, adding that the situation could be tricky with the coming of the new curriculum that is diploma in secondary teacher education where more technical teachers are needed.
“With the coming of the new curriculum, we also need teachers in building and construction, electricity and such like. Those are technical subjects where teachers are needed to support,” he said.
Regarding the new curriculum, he said so far, the first cohort of upgraded teachers with a Diploma in Primary Teacher Education tallying to 11,000 has graduated.
“These are the first truly CBC-compliant teachers. Another 5000 are proceeding for practicum in September and will be ready to serve in our schools in January 2024,” he said.
By Hilton Mwabili
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