The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) have raised concern over new TSC entry qualifications.
According to KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion and his counterpart KUPPET Chairperson Omboko Milemba, the changes proposed by TSC to course requirements undertaken by tutors before they are allowed to join the work force are alarming.
Sossion emphasized that the commission had no authority to make the decision unilaterally and should have involved other education stakeholders.
“TSC should have involved KNUT, which is a teachers’ union. The demands by TSC are a violation of the terms and conditions of employment,” stated Sossion.
According to Milemba, there should be a consortium of all stakeholders in the education sector to deliberate on the proposal.
The KUPPET Chairperson said that students who met the high requirements would opt for other professions therefore the move would lead to a shortage of teachers.
He added that the Teacher Training Colleges died off because the number of enrolling students dropped when the levels of requirements for the TTCs were increased.
Milemba said, “This framework proposes that a teacher will be required to have a C+ for sciences and B+ for all teaching subjects. That is the kind of candidate who will go for law, sciences and other professions.”
He argued that TSC should not become a professional body that dictates standards and quality of persons who are supposed to join the profession as that would be overstepping its mandate as an employer.
Milemba emphasized, “This then requires that we have to move quickly in parliament and create a professional body for the teachers of Kenya.”
Therefore, KUPPET will oppose the framework and the union would release its full report in a week after studying and understanding it.
As per the proposal, teachers will be expected to pursue a Bachelor of Arts course or a Bachelor of Science for a period of three years.
Before they are cleared to apply for TSC number, teachers will be expected to enroll for post-graduate course for a period of one year after attaining the degree.
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