A proposal by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), wants the minimum admission criteria for persons wishing to become teachers to no longer be at the P1 Certificate Level of education for trainees.
Requirement for a Diploma
According to the latest plan, TSC wants to make a Diploma Certificate the minimum educational background for all teachers even for those who want to pursue their certification training in ECDE. The Commission requires that all new appointees get at least a C and a D plain in mathematics. In addition, TSC wants to see to it that all teachers get at least a C- in English.
Performance Improvement
The TSC said that while it supports the decision, the measure is meant to improve candidates’ performance in national exams. “If you do an analysis of KCSE results, Mathematics and Languages are the worst subject performances in the Republic of Kenya at KCPE or KCSE,” states Cavin Anyour, the TSC Law Director.
Ongoing Consultations
According to the commission’s chair, Nancy Macharia, TSC is currently engaged in discussions with the Ministry of Education in regard to teachers in training who are unable to meet the set requirements. “We are going to consult with the Ministry about teachers currently in colleges, and probably do not have the necessary requisite qualifications,” said Nancy Macharia. “I’m sure that we’ll work something out in the end; therefore, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Professionalism and Sanctions
Apart from changing the minimum qualifying criteria, the committee also suggested stricter punishment for teachers. The commission stated that all these changes will increase professionalism in the profession and more people will be drawn towards it. The suggested changes include deregistration of teachers who are found involved in grave misconducts, such as extra-marital affairs.
Promotion of Teachers
Moreover, TSC had promised to promote 36,505 teachers by the end of 2024 considering that the government had set Ksh1 billion for a similar promotion in the financial year 2024–2025.
Opposition to Changes
Others, however, have criticized the Commission over some of the proposed changes arguing that it had no jurisdiction to implement them.