Students aspiring to become primary and secondary school teachers can breathe a sigh of relief after the government revised the entry requirements for teacher training colleges (TTCs).

Previously, to train as a primary school teacher, a student had to have an average grade of C plain but with cluster subjects in mathematics, English and Kiswahili (C) and a C in a science and humanities subject.

However, with the changes, a student must have an average grade of C (plain) without cluster subjects of mathematics, English or Kiswahili. However, to train as a secondary school teacher, a student must have a C plain and a C plus in two subjects.

This is according to recommendations by Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER). The Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals’ Association (KTCPA) urged the Ministry of Education to send circulars to TTCs to allow them to adopt the revised entry requirements.

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“The revised entry requirements are very important for the country because, for example, a teacher has to master the content of a subject in which you specialize, so you have to have a higher grade in the subject you want to teach. In the beginning, it was still a C plus in the subject. But what has been reduced is from a C plus to a C plain in the average grade,” said KTCPA chairman Paul Barasa.

Mr Barasa said all TTCs had adopted the competency-based teacher education programme. “In the primary teacher training colleges, we have the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education, Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education and Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education and I can confirm that all the private and public TTCs have started these programmes which are up and running,” he added. Kenya has a total of 35 public and 28 private TTCs offering Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE), Diploma in Primary and Secondary Teacher Education.

Education stakeholders said the revised entry requirements will help TTCs that are struggling with low enrolment to boost the number of pre-service teachers. Some TTCs have enrolments of less than 20 students.

Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu cited inadequate budgetary allocations, poor payment of fees by parents and low enrolment as challenges facing TTCs.

The CS expressed optimism that the revised admission requirements for TTCs will increase the number of pre-service teachers.

“However, this will come with other challenges to maintain the quality of learning. One of the recommendations of the PWPER mandates the ministry to develop guidelines for a one-year retooling.

The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) is proposing that the colleges operate under one college similar to KMTC.

This means that all the 34 teacher training colleges will be transformed into campuses of Kenya Teacher Training College.

Further, teacher training will be moved from the Basic Education department at the Ministry of Education to the Higher Education Department.

Part of the radical changes that will be effected include revising the admission criteria currently used for teacher training to allow more students access training.

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All TTCs are currently under-enrolled since the government made changes in 2021 requiring students to have a minimum mean grade of C (plain) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education(KCSE).

The proposed changes will also do away with the subject clustering used to admit students to the diploma in primary teacher education.

Currently, students are required to have a C grade in all the cluster subjects and also the same in English, Kiswahili, mathematics, a humanity and science subject.

The combination has however proved to be a tall order for applicants.

There are currently, 3,922 students enrolled in TTCs against a capacity of 26,650.

The PWPER has also proposed affirmative action in admission of students from marginalised regions to TTCs.

Such students will be admitted on lower entry grades in an effort to enhance the numbers for the regions.

The affected regions are poorly staffed and unattractive to many teachers because of security issues.

Placement of students for both the KMTC and teacher training will be through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service.

The placement outcomes released yesterday was a clear confirmation that the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) has taken over placement of teachers to diploma colleges from the respective teacher training colleges, TTCc.

According to the Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, 1,538 students have been placed in Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DIPTE) and Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE).

‘‘For the first time, KUCCPS placed applicants for admission to 32 public diploma primary teacher training colleges. These students will be trained to deliver the CBC curriculum,” Magoha said.

This latest  move was influenced by the recent expansion of the KUCCPS mandate which saw the education ministry transfer admission of new TTC students to the former.

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The implication is that TTC students will now be eligible for loans from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB).

Previously, admissions at the TTCs were conducted by the ministry at the county headquarters. These involved applicants manually filling and submitting application forms. However, the applications will now be done online through KUCCPS portal.

Those who will be taking diploma in secondary school option have been placed  in three TTCs; Kagumo, Kibabii and Lugari.

‘‘Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service has placed 293 students to three colleges offering Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education, of Kagumo, Kibabii and Lugari with 129 male, 164 female who will be trained to deliver the CBC curriculum,’’ he said.

He noted that majority of female students will be taking the Primary Teachers courses to handle CBC learners.

KUCCPS Chief Executive Officer Mercy Wahome noted that KUCCPS will add value to the TTC admission process by utilising its automated placement system to guarantee fair competition among applicants.

“One thing we pride ourselves in, is being able to place students in the fairest way possible. We can assure the Ministry that (KUCCPS) is ready for the task,” Dr Wahome said.

She noted that the placement agency had developed a watertight automated system for admission that ensures all legible applicants are placed.

She also spelt out the roadmap for the admissions activity for the second batch of students who will join the institution to undergo training under the Competency-Based Curriculum.

KUCCPS has listed 35 teachers training colleges on their portal for placement this year.

Before the TTC admissions were brought under KUCCPS, the placement agency coordinated the selection of students for government sponsorship to public and private universities, TVET colleges and the three secondary diploma teacher training colleges, namely Kibabii, Kagumo and Lugari.

The Kenya Women Teachers Association (Kewota) has asked the government to establish breastfeeding centres within schools, which would bring lactating teachers closer to their babies for a health growth.

According to KEWOTA, a law was passed in 2016 compelling the government to build the facilities in all public institutions but public schools are still not compliant.

An observation by Kewota CEO Benta Opande found that female teachers, especially those having babies, are forced to go home often during school days to breastfeed. This subjects them to spending a lot of time and money.

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“We want to support the young female teachers who have young ones and feel the need to go home and breastfeed them. When the child is near the teacher, the teacher is more productive and quality education is enhanced,” Ms Opande said.

Opande was speaking at St Mark’s Teachers Training College in Kigari, Embu County during the closing ceremony of 2022 inter-collegiate athletics championships.

Opande also made a proposal that the Ministry of Education starts a sporting event for teachers from the grassroots to the national level in order to boost cohesion and their mental health.

“We read in the news even about teachers committing suicide. We want the ministry to get involved and address the issue of mental health because it is real and it cannot be ignored,” said Ms Opande.

The director-general of the State Department of Early Learning and Basic Education Elyas Abdi expressed concern over increased cases of teachers who are molesting learners and called on the tutors to uphold integrity.

“When parents and the society trust you with their children, respect that trust as expected. We are getting reports that there are teachers out there who mishandle young students and it is unacceptable in our society,” he said.

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This is after the Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) listed 35 teacher training colleges that will benefit from the kitty.

It will be the first time for KUCCPS to place students to TTCs, following the Ministry of Education’s decision to transfer the mandate to it.

Till last year, the Ministry of Education was recruiting students for admission to the public primary TTCS.

Ministry of Education Director General Elyas Abdi has expressed confidence that KUCCPS would deliver its task successfully.

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During a sensitization workshop at Thogoto TTC early this year, TTC principals and their deans of curriculum were educated on the KUCCPs mandate, how to navigate the KUCCPS portals, validation of courses and the whole placement processes.

Further, they were taken through the process of uploading and capacities on the KUCCPS database, and also sensitized on application processing and inter-institutional transfers.

KUCCPS Chief Executive Mercy Wahome, confirmed that KUCCPS had developed a watertight automated system for admission that will ensure all legible applicants are placed.

Wahome spelt out the roadmap for the admissions activity for the second batch of students who will join the institution to undergo training under the Competency-Based Curriculum(CBC).

KUCCPS has listed 35 teachers training colleges on their portal for placement this year.

The Azimio presidential flag bearer Raila Amollo Odinga has targeted teachers in his presidential vote hunt. In his manifesto, better salaries for teachers and reduced entry grades to teacher training colleges have been added.

The ODM party leader maintained that demotivated teachers cannot produce competent professionals for the labour market, hence there is need to motivate teachers. If elected, Raila promised to hold a meeting with teacher representatives with an aim of getting to know their demands, and how the demands can be fulfilled to end the injustice that teachers have faced overtime.

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Although the government rubbished petitions by a section of leaders from the North-eastern to lower teacher college entry grades claiming that such would lower education standards, Azimio’s presidential aspirant, Raila Odinga also promised to relook into the issue if he ascends to power.

The ODM leader who was recently in Wajir said urgent solutions are required to address the challenges facing the education sector in the fickle Northern Kenya.

“Insecurity made teachers run away. To address the problem, we will push for special affirmative action programme in admitting students from ASALs into teacher training institutions and universities,” he a rally in Wajir’s Orahey grounds.

The trainees,he said will create a local committed workforce to serve as teachers and education officers in the arid region.

Raila added that he will put up low cost boarding schools in each Sub-county in the ASALs and that he will elevate the poverty level in the arid region.The ODM supremo promised to build a resilient livestock economy which is the backbone of the region.

He said that his administration will embark on an education programme to alleviate poverty which affects children’s education during biting droughty season, like in the present situation.

KUCCPS has completed the Preparations to place the first cohort of diploma teacher trainees into the country’s 32 public Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs).

The placement will be done through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).

According to KUCCPS Chief Executive Mercy Wahome, KUCCPS has designed a watertight automated system for admission, which will ensure all legible applicants, including those who will sit the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in March, are placed.

She was speaking at a two-day sensitisation meeting with college principals at Thogoto Teachers Training College.

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It will be the first time KUCCPs will be placing students to TTCs following the Ministry of Education’s decision to mandate it with the responsibility.

Dr Wahome spelt out the roadmap for the admissions activity for the second batch of students who will join the institution to undergo training under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).

She said the crucial meeting – the first between KUCCPS and the Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs) – was a major step in the agency’s preparations for the selection of primary school teacher trainees.

“We wish to inform Kenyans that we are ready for the task,” she told participants at the forum.

‘‘Under the arrangement, all colleges will be required to upload their programmes and declare their capacities on the KUCCPS portal for students to apply,’’ Wahome said.

The next placement exercise will target secondary school leavers from the year 2000 to 2021.

Until last year, the Ministry of Education was responsible for recruiting students for admission to the public primary TTCs.

Ministry of Education Director General Elyas Abdi expressed confidence that KUCCPS would deliver on its task.

At the workshop, principals and their deans of curriculum were sensitised on the KUCCPs mandate, how to navigate the KUCCPS portals, validation of courses and placement processes.

They were also shown how to upload programmes and capacities on the KUCCPS database, and sensitised on application processing and inter-institutional transfers.

Besides the Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and Kenya Institute Curriculum Development (KICD) were the other education stakeholders represented in the meeting.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) recently advertised 154 vacancies for tutors in teacher training colleges and the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (Cemastea).

TTCs need 130 lecturers while 24 national trainers are required at the Cemastea. The new tutors are meant to cater for shortage created after the government phased out the certificate in teacher education and transitioned to the diploma in teacher education (DPTE) programme.

The advertisement is open to eligible teachers in secondary. TTCs require lecturers for various subjects with music requiring the most (18).

Application Procedure

• Open your browser, preferably chrome. Go to the TSC website, www.tsc.go.ke
• On the tabs, click ‘careers.’
• On the drop-down menu that appears, select ‘teachers’ then go to active promotions
• The two advertised posts appear, with the qualifications required.
• Scroll to access the post of your choice. For each of the posts, there is an ‘action’ on the far right.
• Click on the ‘action’ button and select ‘apply.’ You can opt to view before applying

• An application window, E-recruitment centre appears. On the far right of the window, insert your details, including surname, ID number, and TSC number.
• 
• Once the details are will inserted, click ‘continue.’
• You will receive an OTP confirmation code in your phone, which you will enter to confirm the authenticity of the details provided.
• Enter the required details, including your subject combinations, then click continue.
• Upload all the required transcripts and certificates, then submit your application.

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEPLOYMENT TO CEMASTEA
To qualify for deployment, a teacher must: –
i. Be at a minimum grade of C4, T-Scale 9, Senior Master IV.
ii. Be a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Science) or its equivalent; –

iii. Have been a County Trainer-CEMASTEA for at least three years;
iv. Have demonstrated professionalism and good performance;
v. Have demonstrated proficiency in computer literacy and ICT integration in teaching;
vi. Have participated in the performance appraisal process.
NB: Master’s Degree in a relevant area is an added advantage.
Applicants shall be required to upload the following documents during applications:
a) Letter of appointment to the current grade.
b) Highest Academic Qualification.
c) Letter of appointment as CEMASTEA County Trainer.
d) Certificate in Computer applications.
e) Certificate/s of Participation in the use of ICT integration in Education

To qualify for deployment, a teacher must: –
i. Be at a minimum grade of C4, T-Scale 9, Senior Master IV.
ii. Be a holder of a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or its equivalent.
iii. Have participated in the performance appraisal process.
NB: Master’s Degree in a relevant area will be an added advantage.

Applicants shall be required to upload the following documents during applications:
a) Letter of appointment to the current grade.
b) Highest Academic Qualification.
Note:
Successful candidates for advert no. 2/2022 will be deployed to any public Teacher Training College where the vacancy exists.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has advertised 154 vacancies for tutors in teacher training colleges and the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (Cemastea).

TTCs need 130 lecturers while 24 national trainers are required at the Cemastea. The new tutors are meant to cater for shortage created after the government phased out the certificate in teacher education and transitioned to the diploma in teacher education (DPTE) programme.

The advertisement is open to eligible teachers in secondary. TTCs require lecturers for various subjects with music requiring the most (18).

Qualifications

• Must be a secondary school teacher
• Must be at a minimum grade of C4, T-Scale 9 and a senior master IV.
• The applicants must also hold a bachelor degree in education (science) or its equivalent
• Have participated in performance the appraisal process.
• Successful candidates will be deployed to any public TTC where the vacancy exists.
• To qualify for deployment at the Cemastea, interested teachers require the same qualifications. In addition, however, they must have served as Cemastea county trainers for at least three years.

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How to apply

• Applications should be submitted through the TSC website or ‘teachers online’ before January 25 2022.
• Secondary schools that will be affected by exit of teachers will be re-staffed later.

Click here to apply.

Rationale

TSC and the Ministry of Education has set a DPTE or diploma in early childhood teacher education as the minimum qualification for teaching under the competency-based teacher education (CBTE). The new admissions, coupled with new learning areas, has created demand more lecturers in TTCs. The situation has been worsened by retirements of lecturers and promotion of some of them to take up positions in secondary schools.

According to TSC data, there is a total shortage of 114,581 teachers in the country. Secondary schools are worst hit as they need 64,737 teachers while primary schools have a shortage of 49,653 teachers. Other areas that are understaffed are Kenya Institute of Special Education (26), Kenya Institute for the Blind (3), and curriculum support officers (50).

The government of Kenya, in collaboration with the teachers’ service commission, have been accused of murdering Teacher-training colleges (TTCs). Experts say that the current collapsing state of TTCs verge of was an intentional creation of the government after it scrapped P1 and ECDE certificate programs for basic-education tutors. Additionally, the government further buried TTCs by revising the minimum entry grades for TTCs.

The double move has left more than 30 government TTCs and 37 private ones minus students, halting their operations.

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Currently, only five government TTCs have students, each having an average of 20, down from over 200 students that the colleges used to recruit annually before the entry grades were revised.

The last time students were seen in the remaining TTCs was December 2021 when the last cohort of the P1 certificate course graduated.

During the April and May 2021 recruitment, only 600 students met the new entry requirements set by the Education ministry and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Of the 600 students, 400 enroled for the new Diploma in Primary Education, while 200 were recruited to pursue the Early Childhood and Development Education (ECDE) diploma programme.

The Education ministry distributed the students in only five teacher colleges, leaving the other 30 TTCs without any teacher-trainee.

The five lucky colleges that got students are Thogoto TTC, Machakos TTC, Igoji TTC, Baringo TTC and Migori TTC.

Due to their inability to attract qualified students, private TTCs have resorted to other business courses to stay afloat.

There are 35 government teacher-training colleges and 37 privately owned ones across the country.

Nakuru Teachers Training College for instance, which commanded over 500 students for P1 annualy, only managed to get 5 students for DIPTE and 100 for DECTE. Nakuru TTC registrar, Dennis Bowen blamed the low enrolment on high cluster-subject qualifications prescribed by the Ministry of Education.

“We got many applications from students who scored a mean grade of C (plain), but when it came to cluster combination, a majority of them did not qualify,” said Mr Bowen.

Under the current grading system, however, the college, like many others, has had to diversify its courses.

Colleges affected by the policy change are targeting business, arts and technical courses.

The Education ministry scrapped the P1 certificate course and introduced Diploma of Primary Education for primary-level teachers and Early Childhood Development Teacher Education diploma programmes for Pre-primary 1 and Pre-primary 2 teachers.

The entry requirement for the Diploma of Primary Education and the ECDE programmes is Grade C (plain) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination or its equivalent as certified by the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec).

Candidates for the two diploma courses are also required to have a C plain in all the cluster subjects – English and Kiswahili, Mathematics, any humanity and any science subject.

For candidates with disabilities, the minimum entry grade is C (minus), with a C (minus) in the cluster subjects.