University administrators now accuse the instructors’ employer of “overstepping” their authority.
Vice chancellors criticized the Teachers Service Commission’s participation in teacher preparation.
The issues were raised in Mombasa during the inaugural international annual conference for public university management.
There were a number of VCs from public universities there.
The vice chancellors accused involvement by the government agency in a statement that was delivered by Ndirangu Kioni, the conference’s program coordinator.
University administrators now accuse the instructors’ employer of “overstepping” their authority.
Vice chancellors criticized the Teachers Service Commission’s participation in teacher preparation.
The issues were raised in Mombasa during the inaugural international annual conference for public university management.
There were a number of VCs from public universities there.
The vice chancellors accused involvement by the government agency in a statement that was delivered by Ndirangu Kioni, the conference’s program coordinator.
The TSC has made an effort to impose rules on how education courses would be taught, which Kioni claimed would limit the freedom of education.
Under the auspices of the State Department of University Education and Research, more state entities attended the conference.
They consist, among others, of Helb, KUCCPS, Universities Funding Board, and National Research Fund.
The vice chancellor of Dedan Kimathi University, Kioni, remarked that the current standards for teacher preparation should be maintained.
Robust teacher preparation will be restricted by the planned education degree’s multiple courses. TSC shouldn’t meddle with university-based teacher preparation programs, according to Kioni.
The leaders of the universities demanded that all institutions offering teacher training synchronize their curricula.
“It should be decided to form a special task force to streamline teacher preparation programs. Universities ought to take part in the evaluation of CBC, he suggested.
However, a TSC source who wished to remain unnamed stated that the agency’s role in training is to examine the standards.
The insider claimed, “We merely offer advice; we don’t direct colleges to take any action.”
The source made it clear that because institutions deal with teachers, TSC advises them.
For instance, we might suggest teaching more Swahili instead of more English, or if we already have chemistry instructors, why not try humanities, he remarked.
The source further stated that as the teachers’ employer, they were required to comment on the credentials of the teachers.
He said, “Or we say the mathematics teachers you are educating have a qualification of D, they could not be competent enough to educate students to acquire A.”
The university administrators demanded an upgrade of the faculty while they were still on TSC.
According to Kioni, the majority of teachers working in public universities are unable to meet the requirements.
Universities received staff from the TSC, although the majority of this staff is not qualified to instruct in degree-granting courses.
Candidates for training must now have a mean KCSE grade of C (plain), with a C (plain) in each of the following subjects: mathematics, English, kiswahili, one science, and one humanities.
The demands of the Competency-Based Curriculum led to the creation of the new entry grade.
Candidates for the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education should have a C (plain) or equivalent on the KCSE test, as well as a C (plain) in English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, and one of the humanities.
