The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in Kenya has made a decision to exclude primary school teachers deployed to junior secondary schools (JSS) from an upcoming training program. This decision affects approximately 7,400 PTE teachers who had been posted to teach grade 7 learners earlier this year.
TSC has announced that only newly recruited JSS teachers will be eligible to participate in the training scheduled to take place from the 9th to the 13th of October. This training marks the initiation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) and Competency Based Assessment (CBA) for a total of 56,000 Grade 7 teachers.
Nancy Macharia, the Chief Executive Officer of TSC, expressed her appreciation for the dedication of teachers who have been actively engaged in ensuring compliance with the CBC while continuing to manage their regular school responsibilities. She made these remarks during a celebration of World Teachers’ Day at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi.
In a memo dated 26th September, TSC specified the subjects for which teachers would receive training, including language, science, mathematics, humanities, and technical subjects. The training will be conducted at Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) and various selected county venues.
The Grade 7 teacher training is set to begin in October. However, it’s worth noting that the training of Master Trainers and Trainer of Trainers (TOTs) commenced earlier. Master Trainers, drawn from various educational institutions and organizations, started their training from 2nd to 4th October at the Kenya Institute of Special Education. These Master Trainers will subsequently train the TOTs, which include Curriculum Support Officers (CSOs), Teacher Educators, TSC Subcounty directors, and Ministry of Education quality assurance officers.
The training for TOTs is scheduled from the 6th to the 7th of October and will be held in Teacher Training Colleges and other selected county venues. All training sessions are being conducted face-to-face.
This training initiative comes after TSC deployed 18,000 intern teachers to junior secondary schools in late August and early September. Additionally, Grade 7 learners are preparing to undertake their national writing assessments in October. The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has already released the assessments for schools to download, print, and administer to the learners.
The subjects for which Grade 7 learners will undergo written exams include Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Agriculture, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Performing Arts, CRE/IRE/HRE, Science and Technology, Kenyan Sign Language, Integrated Science, Computer Studies, Business Studies, Life Skills Education, Pre-Technical, and Pre-Career Education.
It’s evident that the TSC is actively working to ensure the quality and competency of teachers in line with the new curriculum, and this training plays a crucial role in achieving that goal. Teachers in Kenya continue to adapt to new teaching methodologies and assessment practices, striving to provide the best education for their students.