Most teachers who applied for the Diploma upgrading programme have acknowledged receiving invitation to attend a specified Teacher Training College (TTC) to start the training this October 4th.
According to taskforce recommendations both P1 and ECDE teachers will have to undergo the mandatory training which starts next month. The trainees will be issued with a Diploma certificate at the end of the training.
“Both DPTE and DECTE Upgrading Programmes will report in October in the TTCs that did not have teacher trainees,” read part of the recommendations.
The upgrading programme shall take 4 terms for DPTE (Diploma Primary Teacher Education) and 5 terms for DECTE (Diploma Early Childhood Teacher Education). Both will have course work and a full term for practicum .
Graduates for the Upgrading Programmes shall be expected to teach all the subjects offered in the area of training.
The taskforce said blended learning and distance learning for the Diploma upgrade programme will be considered in due course.
The total number of the content and pedagogical hours in the Upgrading Programmes will be 786 hours for DPTE and 1176 hours for DECTE.
For ECDE upgrading, they will do all the learning areas in DECTE with more hours than in PTE upgrading but will both have a teaching practicum of 300 hours.
However P1 teachers will only study the subjects which they didn’t do in college.
“The CBTEC expects a primary school teacher to be grounded in all the subjects offered in primary schools, therefore upgrading PTE teacher trainee will be exempted from the subjects they had specialised in and take only those they did not take in the certificate course,” reads a taskforce report.
This programme currently only affects PTE and ECDE who are not in any form of employment.
“All teachers in service with Teacher Service Commission (TSC), County Governments and Private Schools will be expected to start the blended upgrade program when the school calendar normalizes having been disrupted by COVID 19 Pandemic,” said team made of officials from TSC, MOE and KICD.
For P1 teachers who want to upgrade to Diploma Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) they must meet the following requirements;
1. The applicant must possess a valid
PTE Certificate
2. The applicant must be registered by the Teachers Service Commission.
3. The duration of the course shall be 1500 Hours.
4. The Course shall be fully residential.
5. The trainee shall take all courses specified in the upgrading programme of Diploma in Primary Teacher Education
6. The trainees shall undertake a Teaching Practicum of 300 Hours.
7. To be awarded the Diploma, the trainee must complete the required hours for Course Work and the stipulated assessment by the Kenya National Examination Council.
8. Applicants shall be required to produce evidence of adherence to positive morals and good behavior.
For ECDE teachers who want to upgrade to Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) they must meet these key requirements;
1. The applicant must possess a valid ECDE Certificate.
2. The applicant must be registered by the Teachers Service Commission.
3. The duration of the Course shall be1890 Hours.
4. The course shall be fully residential.
5. The trainee shall take all courses specified in the upgrading programme of Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE).
6. The trainees shall undertake a Teaching Practicum of 300 Hours.
7. To be awarded the Diploma, the trainee must complete the required hours for Course Work and pass the stipulated assessment by the Kenya National Examination Council.
8. Applicants shall be required to produce evidence of adherence to positive moral values and good behavior.
The fee structure for Diploma upgrading varies from college to college with most priavte TTCs charging between sh. 79,000 to sh. 84,000 while public TTCs charging sh. 65,000 to sh. 68,000.
What about those ECDE degree holders whom the TSC has never employed?? Is there a place for them since they are the best suited for teaching the new curriculum?