The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is seeking to lower the minimum entry grade for diploma teacher training courses to C plain as part of major reforms targeting the teaching profession.
Under proposed amendments to the TSC Code of Regulations for Teachers (CORT), the commission will also recognize single teaching subjects and new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) learning areas.
TSC states that a person shall be eligible for registration as a teacher if the individual is of good moral character, holds relevant academic and professional qualifications from a training institution recognized in Kenya, and meets the commission’s registration requirements.
Under the proposal, diploma applicants will now qualify with a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) mean grade of C (Plain), down from the previous C+ requirement.
“The Teachers Service Commission Code of Regulations for Teachers, 2015, (in these Regulations referred to as the ‘the principal regulations’) are amended by deleting regulation 20 and substituting therefor the following new regulation,” read part of the amendment.
TSC Seeks to Lower Diploma Teacher Training Entry Grade From C+ to C
Under the proposed amendments, applicants interested in a Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) will qualify if they hold the relevant diploma certificate and attain a minimum KCSE mean grade of C (Plain).
Applicants living with disabilities will qualify with a minimum grade of C- (Minus).
The same minimum requirement will apply to diploma programmes in ECDE (Montessori Curriculum), Primary Teacher Education (DTE and DPTE), Adult and Continuing Teacher Education (DACTE), and Special Needs Education at the primary level.
For the Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education (DSTE), applicants must hold a diploma in secondary teacher education.
They must have attained a KCSE mean grade of C (Plain) and scored at least C+ (Plus) in two teaching subjects.
Applicants living with disabilities will qualify with a KCSE mean grade of C (Plain) and C (Plain) in two teaching subjects.
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TSC has also proposed changes to the Diploma in Secondary Education (DE), requiring applicants to have a minimum KCSE mean grade of C (Plain) and a C+ in one teaching subject.
Applicants registered as persons with disabilities will qualify with a C plain in the teaching subject.
For Diploma in Technical Teacher Education (DTTE), applicants must attain a C plain mean grade and a C+ in two related STEM teaching subjects.
Persons with disabilities will qualify with C plain grades in the STEM subjects.
The amendments also introduce provisions for diploma registration in Counseling Psychology, which require applicants to possess a diploma in counseling psychology and technical education from recognized institutions, in addition to a KCSE mean grade of C plain.
Special Needs Teacher Training Qualifications
Under the proposed regulations, applicants interested in a Diploma in Special Needs Education (Secondary Option) must attain a C plain mean grade,
They will have to possess at least a C+ in teaching subjects such as English, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language, Mathematics, Biology, Arts, Science, or Technical subjects, while also specializing in disability under age-based pathways.
TSC has also introduced provisions for a Diploma in Education for the Visually and Hearing Impaired under both primary and secondary options.
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Under the primary option, applicants will qualify if they hold a diploma certificate in visually and hearing impaired education and attain a minimum KCSE mean grade of C (Plain) or its equivalent.
For the secondary option, applicants must hold a diploma certificate in visually and hearing impaired education and attain a KCSE mean grade of C (Plain).
They must also score at least a C plain in subjects including English, Kiswahili, Kenya Sign Language (KSL), Mathematics, Biology, and any Arts, Science, or Technical subject.
I successful completed Diploma in education secondary options from laikipia University in 2014 October,,I had a mean grade of C plain and Teaching subject C +,,,,Will tsc consider us for registration,,we have really suffer for more than 10 years.