TSC Leads New Initiative to Update Teacher Minimum Entry Requirements.
The P1 Certificate Level of education for trainees would no longer be the minimum entry requirement for those seeking to become teachers, according to a proposal made by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
As per the most recent plan, TSC aims to establish a Diploma Certificate as the minimum educational qualification for all teachers, including those undergoing training to teach at the ECDE level.
According to the Commission, all new hires must receive at least a C and a D plain in mathematics.
TSC also wants to guarantee that every teacher receives at least a C- in English.
The TSC stated that the action is intended to boost candidates’ performance in the national exams while supporting the decision.
According to Cavin Anyour, the Director of Law TSC, “if you do an analysis of KCSE results, Mathematics and Languages are the worst subject performance in the Republic of Kenya at KCPE or KCSE.”
Nancy Macharia, the Commission’s chairperson, made it clear that TSC is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Education to decide what should happen to teachers who are undergoing training but could not fulfill the recently established standards.
Nancy Macharia said, “We are consulting with the Ministry regarding the teachers who are currently in colleges, and they may not have the necessary requisite qualifications. I know at the end of the day, we will have a solution, so that should not be a problem.”
Apart from the modifications in eligibility criteria, the committee has also suggested more severe disciplinary actions for educators.
The commission claims that these changes will encourage professionalism in the sector and draw more individuals to the field.
Among the suggested changes is the deregistration of educators who commit egregious infractions, such having extramarital affairs.
Additionally, the commission pledged to promote 36,505 teachers by the end of 2024, given that Ksh1 billion had been set aside by the government for the same purpose in the 2024–2025 fiscal year.
However, others have criticized the Commission for some of the suggested modifications, arguing that it is not within its authority to implement them.
