Ministry of Education has stopped the training of primary school teachers for one year to allow the phase-out of P1 certificate courses in Teacher Training Colleges next year.
The course will be replaced with a Diploma tailored to meet the new education curriculum demands.
This means the first cohort of those seeking a diploma in education will be admitted to TTCs in 2021.
Details from Education ministry reveal that the institutions will not admit students in 2020 as the ministry embarks on developing a curriculum that will be used to teach the new Diploma course.
This means the pioneer class will be the first to graduate with training fit to teach the new curriculum.
In January, Principal Secretary for Early and Basic Education Belio Kipsang’ said this will ensure that teaching colleges produce competent, skilled teachers.
“In line with vision 2030, the government has made a commitment to modernise Teachers Training Institutes (TTI) in readiness for Diploma in Primary Education course,” he said.
Once implemented, it would take three years for the students to undertake the diploma course, unlike the two-year certificate course.
Extending the duration is meant to offer the learners enough time to train on content and adequate time for practicals.
There are 27 public teacher training colleges in the country out of which Kagumo, Lugari and Kibabii offer diploma training.
Students here specialise in two subjects and are deployed in secondary schools.
With the new policy shift, teacher trainees will also be required to train two subjects of their choice.
This is a departure from the current establishment where teacher trainees are taught in all the subjects offered.
However, there is concern over how long the government will take before absorbing the teachers into employment.
Already, TSC statistics reveal an oversupply of teachers with the number of the jobless set to surpass those employed at the end of this year, according to TSC boss Nancy Macharia.
TSC indicates that 216,517 teachers are in primary schools and 100,493 in secondary schools, totalling 317,010 teachers in service.
The number of unemployed trained teachers stands at 309,000 this year.
The Economic Survey 2019 reveals an upward trend in enrollment of students to Teacher Training Institutions for both P1 and Diploma courses.
Over five years, the numbers seeking diplomas rose from 39,853 in 2014 to 42,351 in 2018; those in P1 surged from 21,214 in 2014 to 22,231 in 2018.
