The institution’s online Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training for teachers ended yesterday.
Mount Kenya University has started its second session of the introduction program (MKU),
However, due to the low number of teachers who attended the course, the school had to reschedule the virtual training.
On the 4th of April, the MKU began a five-day teacher training program. MKU is the first university to begin training in April 2022.
MKU has set the new training dates for Tuesday, April 19th, through Saturday, April 23rd, 2022.
The training will be provided by TSC in collaboration with Mount Kenya, Riara, and Kenyatta universities, as well as the Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI).
KEMI will begin teacher training on Monday of next week. The Institute has set the dates for the second online session for April 11-14, 2022.
The management of the university stated that it is mandated by Legal Notice No.19/2010 to give Education Management Training, conduct Research, and provide Consultancy Services in the Education Sector, which includes TPD.
A variety of factors contribute to the low proportion of teachers who attend TPD training.
1. Parliamentary recommendation
Last month the Members of Parliament (MPs) called for an immediate stop to the TPD courses until proper stakeholders’ consultations are undertaken.
The legislatures also asked for government to pay the sh. 6,000 training fee and the list of institutions offering the refresher courses expanded.
“If the Commission is not restrained from implementing the TPD programme, the rights of teachers and stakeholders under Article 232(1)(d) of the constitution stand the risk of being prejudiced,” said National Assembly Education Committee chairperson Florence Mutua in a report she signed on March 1, 2022.
Following the directive teachers thought the programme has been halted till further notice. Most of them were not prepared for the training.
However TPD service providers on TSC blessings went ahead and planned for the April training.
Some teachers have interpreted this as greed by the institutions to earn from their hard earned cash.
2. The national KCSE marking exercise
Some teachers are unable to participate in the ongoing trainings because they are preoccupied with official matters such as KCSE exam marking.
3. Cash Shortage
Inflation has impacted teachers hard, especially those in lower cadre grades B5, C1, and C2, who are struggling to feed their families and pay off their loans.
TPD isn’t good news for teachers in this situation because the economy isn’t doing well and several areas are experiencing severe drought.
Teachers are still required to pay a capacity-building fee of Sh. 6,000.
Teachers who attend the program will be given a teaching certificate, which is a license to teach, according to TSC.
The credential will be granted if a teacher has successfully completed a TPD program, according to the Commission.
There are five chapters in each TPD module. It takes five years to complete each chapter. There are six TPD modules in all. One of them will take 30 years to finish.
