Why we want teachers to have a C-plain college entrance grade instead of a TSC
According to current plans by the Teachers Service Commission, P1 certificate teachers will no longer be eligible to teach if they have not received a simple mean grade of at least a C.
According to the commission, the lowest-grade teacher under the TSC Amendment Bill proposal would hold a diploma rather than a certificate.
According to the Commission, placing qualified instructors in schools is the sole way it is attempting to guarantee high-quality education.
Students who received a D are currently eligible to apply for P1 teaching certifications.
According to the proposed plan, a diploma is required in order to be certified as an ECDE teacher. Diploma instructors need to have a plain mean grade of C.
According to TSC’s Legal Affairs Director Cavin Anyuor, the instructor needed to have received at least a C- in English and a D in math.
“Can I teach a learner until they understand and pass their exam if I scored an E in English?” he asked.
“All we need is a good instructor who can arrange for a pilot to fly us over Lake Victoria.”
During a media sensitization event in Nairobi, Anyuor stated that the Commission should specify the requirements for teachers it registers, as it is mandated to do.
He admitted that there is now controversy over the planned registration scheme.
The registration framework outlines the prerequisites needed to become a teacher. This is the location for the entry grade. There is a growing need to either lower, raise, or keep the admission grade at its current level, he stated.
Anyuor pointed out that while entrance requirements for other professions, such as law, medicine, and engineering, are typically higher, those for teaching are typically set lower.
“The origin of all these vocations is teaching. “You expect engineers or pilots who won’t take us to sea, but you want low-quality teachers to teach them?” he asked.
Kenyans need to question themselves, “Do you want a quality teacher or do you want a teacher who scored low and then expect them to work miracles to produce pilots?” as the stakeholder engagement process continues.
He added that the Ministry of Education is working with the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Affairs to send English teachers to Germany.
“You’ve witnessed the export of nurses to other nations. Our goal is to export teachers as well. However, the question remains as to what level of teacher we are sending out there,” he stated.
According to Anyuor, there have been numerous changes made to the school system, such as the switch to CBC and the raising of the lowest teaching service grade from a certificate to a diploma.
“What will this diploma teacher’s entry-level qualification be? Should we train diploma teachers using the same methods as certificate teachers? Additionally, you have to assess these credentials in light of broader developments in the education system, the speaker stated.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia reassured individuals pursuing P1 teaching certificates in colleges that there is no cause for concern as they are in consultation with the Ministry of Education regarding the future.
The commission believes that the caliber of a school’s instruction is directly related to the caliber of its instructors. And we’ve offered you our recommendations; now, as Kenyans, we want to hear what you think of the suggested qualifications,” Macharia added.
In newly added parts that follow section 23 of the Act, the commission aims to recommend continued professional development programs in addition to establishing the minimal requirements for teacher registration.
If approved, the change will also give the commission the authority to grant and revoke tutors’ certificates of registration.
Before the TSC Amendment Act is presented to Parliament, Macharia urged Kenyans to provide their input.
