TTC Entry Grade To Be Reviewed Under New Proposals
The task force overseeing admissions to Teachers Training Colleges (TTCs) in Kenya has identified a crisis brewing within the institutions due to the stringent entry requirements.
Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms has heard that the colleges have not been able to admit more students and this has resulted in fewer teachers being trained.
The training of new teachers started in 2021 with a diploma set as the minimum level of training for all primary school teachers.
“For about two years it emerged that these teachers training colleges have trained less than 2,000 students and this is brewing crisis,” said the source.
This was a key strategy for the government to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools.
During the first admission in June 2021, only 1,000 students were selected to join six TTCs across the country, with only TTCs of Machakos, Thogoto, Baringo, Egoji, Migori, and Shanzu receiving between 150-200 students.
However, since the first admission, many institutions have remained empty as the entry requirements have been raised, locking out many students. Applicants are now required to have a KCSE Mean Grade of C (Plain) or its equivalent, with a C Plain in English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, and also a C in any of the Humanities or Sciences subjects.
Candidates with disabilities are required to have a minimum entry grade of C- (Minus) and a C- (Minus) in the specified subjects. Applicants for the Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education are required to have a C Plain Mean Grade in the KCSE or its equivalent.
The trainees are expected to specialize in three subject areas, having attained a minimum KCSE grade of C (Plain) in the areas they wish to focus on.
Insiders at the task force have revealed that the team has proposed a plan to ease entry to TTCs and also ensure that teachers undergo in-service training to professionalize the trade.
“Now we propose that teacher training be aligned with Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA). To pursue a diploma coursed you need to have a C plain and a combination of two other subjects. But to be a teacher the requirements are a bit stringent and the industry has shrunk,” said the source.
To pursue a diploma course, students only need to have a C plain and a combination of two other subjects, but to become a teacher, the requirements are more stringent and this has caused the industry to shrink.
The task force recognizes the need to strengthen professional courses and training to professionalize the teaching.
TTC Entry Grade To Be Reviewed Under New Proposals
