There were fears that teachers holding Primary Teacher Education (PTE) certificate but have not upgraded to Diploma Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) will be locked out of TSC employment.
However Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia during a media workshop in Naivasha assured the teachers that they will still be employed despite the policy change.
“Remember when we were training certificate P1 teachers it was a government policy. All those trained before the policy came in place must be employed and they will not be disadvantaged,” Macharia said.
Already there are plans to employ more teachers after July 2022 budget.
TSC is expected to employ more teachers after the Education ministry recommended an increase of Sh15 billion to its annual budget.
According to the Draft 2022 Budget Policy Statement (a roadmap for 2022-23 budget) the document proposes an increase from the current Sh281.7 billion to Sh296.6 billion, an increase of Sh14.9 billion.
The increased funding under the Teacher Resource Management implies that the commission is set to recruit more teachers and cater for an increment of teachers’ salaries.
“TSC is determined to see that teachers are properly staffed. It is working with Ministry of Education to ensure enough teachers are provided by recruiting 5,000 teachers every year and also by engaging intern teachers,” reads a section of the policy.
In October 2021, thousands of unemployed P1 teachers reported to various Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) to start the nine month diploma upgrade program.
Last month the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) ordered the trainee teachers be registered for assessments by 3rd December.
The Diploma upgrade program is scheduled to run for nine months where six months will cover class work and three months for teaching practice.
Recently TTC Principals met in Naivasha and had suggested the upgrade program be extended by six more months.
A taskforce had recommended both P1 and ECDE teachers to undergo the mandatory training which started in October. The trainees will be issued with a Diploma certificate at the end of the training.
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 Program 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.
However the teacher trainees are expected to boost their employment opportunities upon graduating with the Diploma.
The total number of the content and pedagogical hours in the Upgrading Programmes will be 786 hours for DPTE and 1176 hours for DECTE.
CALENDAR FOR DIPLOMA UPGRADING STUDENTS
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 taskforce.
REQUIREMENTS FOR P1 AND ECDE TEACHERS WHO WANT TO UPGRADE TO DIPLOMA.
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.
