Teachers unions want TSC to change teaching requirements
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) has provided the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) with a number of requests. One of these proposals is to lower the standards that must be met in order to enter the field of education as a teacher.
KNUT suggests that the present criterion of a grade of C+ be decreased to only a C grade as the minimum standard.
According to the KNUT, educators who have successfully finished their studies in Teachers studies Colleges are in possession of the knowledge, abilities, and credentials essential to instruct students in junior secondary schools.
At this time, the TSC will only appoint teachers who graduated from secondary school with at least a C+ average. Nevertheless, KNUT is requesting that this recruiting and deployment criteria be rethought in its entirety.
In the past, the TSC was criticized for having stringent hiring requirements, which led to a large number of skilled teachers being unable to find work once they completed their education. KNUT is an advocate for a strategy that is more inclusive and would result in the creation of extra employment possibilities for educators, particularly those who have demonstrated the capacity to achieve success in the teaching profession.
The implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which is aimed at delivering a more all-encompassing educational system, has been the primary focus of recent government initiatives.
Instead than focusing primarily on educating students for white-collar jobs, this curriculum places a priority on the development of students’ practical skills and knowledge, which better positions them for success in the workforce.
While the TSC is examining the CBC, the KNUT continues to maintain the belief that the commission will also take into account their request to lessen the requirements for employment of teachers in junior secondary schools.
The union believes that if this change were implemented, it would not only improve the career chances for teachers, but it would also improve the overall quality of education.