The management of public and private universities offering teacher training courses have launched major campaigns to align their training to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in the wake of the ongoing reforms in the education sector.
Deans from various schools of education have been holding meetings to unpack and digest the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform (PWPER), which covers teacher education and anticipated reform in universities.
One of the most recent forums in which elaborate issues of reforms were discussed was at the University of Embu (UoE), where all deans of education congregated and launched a framework on course restructuring.
According to a report from UoE journal, the patron of the Deans of Education Vice Chancellor Prof Daniel Mugendi reminded the deans of the pivotal roles they were expected to play in aiding the success and advancement of competency-based education.
He stressed the need for hastening the alignment of teacher training programmes with the ever-changing demands in the sector to ensure those being trained to handle learners under the CBC system benefit holistically from training.
He encouraged the deans to be prepared to participate in various forums on the reforms in education where some challenges would be faced but where their expert inputs remained hugely important in shaping the wide-ranging reforms.
During the meeting, the deans collectively formulated an implementation matrix for the recommendations of the PWPER focusing on teacher education, and the imperative for Schools/Faculties of Education in universities to establish comprehensive Faculty staff retooling programmes to prepare for Competency-Based Teacher Education (CBTE) at the university level.
Under the matrix, the schools of education will ensure current students pursuing Bachelor of Education programmes, starting from 2023, receive thorough training in CBE by aligning all university programmes offering Teacher Education with CBTE and Competency-Based Teacher Assessment (CBTA).
The institutions will also develop a university competency-based curriculum framework that will define the teacher education standards under various committees formed and tasked with spearheading the progress between now and February 2024.
Alupe University Vice Chancellor Prof Peter L. Barasa, who gave the keynote address, explained in detail the critical aspects of teacher education and management as outlined in the recommendations of the PWPER.
Barasa explained the far-reaching impact of investing in education while noting that it paved the way for a brighter future for the nation.
The scholar elaborated on a comprehensive framework for producing teachers compliant with CBE standards, adding that there was a need for crafting teacher education standards and guidelines for competency-based teacher education.
Participants emphasised the importance of ensuring the highest quality in teacher education so that educators are equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to excel in nurturing all learners.
Inclusivity in education was also highlighted as a pivotal goal, with all deans taking time to share the progressive steps taken by their respective universities in reshaping the Bachelor of Education programmes in alignment with CBTE.
The deans however admitted that they still had some challenges because of the need for further intervention to ensure that graduating students from 2023 onwards become fully CBC-compliant.
By Robert Nyagah
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