Upgrading Programme from Certificate To Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) and Diploma in Early Childhood Development Teacher Education (DECTE)
Rationale
The following recommended upgrading primary education course from a certificate to diploma level
1) The Taskforce Report on the Re-alignment of the Education Sector to the Constitution of Kenya 2010 (Odhiambo Taskforce Report Republic of Kenya, 2012)
2) Basic Education Act (2013)
3) Taskforce on Enhancing Access, Relevance, Transition, Equity and Quality for Effective Curriculum Reforms and Implementation (MoE 2020, pg 177)
Therefore, existing certificate level teachers need to be given an opportunity to upgrade their certificates to a diploma.
The reformed CBTEC emphasises professionalism, values, learner centred pedagogies, assessment for learning, identification and nurturing of learner’s talents, integration of ICT in the learning process and mainstreaming research – this is not emphasised in the PTE certificate course.
Further, a CBC teacher is expected to be a mentor and a facilitator of learning which is a paradigm shift in the education reforms
It is therefore apparent that the current certificate teachers need to be retooled to effectively implement the reformed curriculum as envisaged and be awarded an upgraded certificate.
Course to Upgrade Certificate PTE teachers to a Diploma
In CBTE for the diploma course for Primary Teacher Education (PTE), the learner is expected to cover 3,000 hours for a duration of 3 years. distributed as follows:
1. Classwork – 2,100 hours
2. Micro teaching – 300 hours
3. Practicum – 600 hours
Total – 3,000 hours
The PTE certificate course under the 8.4.4 system of education, took 2 years of 3 terms each (350 hours each per term)
Total hours for the course was therefore 2,100, including teaching practice.
This means to upgrade the teacher to a diploma they may need to cover a minimum of 1,000 hours to reach the 3,000 hours expected for the Diploma Course.
DPTE Upgrading Summary of hours
KICD is proposing upgrading Programme of 1320 hours distributed as following:
1. Professional Learning Areas – 414 hours
2. Content and Pedagogy – 786 hours
3. Practicum – 300 hours
Total – 1,500 hours
The trainees will therefore cover 1,200 hours for learning both professional and integrated content and pedagogy.
Arrangements will be made for blended and on-line learning.
Professional Courses – 414 hours
Integrated Content and Pedagogy – 1176 hours
Practicum – 300 hours
Total – 1890 hours
Professional Learning Areas
In the CBTEC the professional learning areas have been redone to include new information to align them to competency based curriculum
Therefore, in the Upgrading Programme, the learners will have to undergo the same course as a regular pre-service trainee
Due to the paradigm shift to blended content and pedagogy in CBTE, micro teaching has been allocated more time with 30 hrs placed under the professional learning areas
The trainees will be expected to undergo micro teaching for all the 11 subjects from their first term in college
Professional Learning areas will be taken as is in pre service courses
The following will constitute the integration of content and pedagogy knowledge
time allocation:
Content + Pedagogy (Learning Areas)
Content + Pedagogy (Learning Areas)- Proposal for distribution in a blended mode
Content and Pedagogy Learning Areas
The PTE certificate, specialisation was allowed in the second year in two clusters that were science or Arts related subjects
The CBTEC expects a primary school teacher to be grounded in all the subjects offered in primary schools, therefore upgrading PTE teacher trainee will be exempted from the subjects they had specialised in and take only those they did not take in the certificate course
For ECDE upgrading, they will do all the learning areas in DECTE with more hours than in PTE upgrading
Both DECTE and DPTE Upgrading Programme will use the same curriculum designs developed for the Diploma CBTEC
The total number of the content and pedagogical hours in the Upgrading Programmes will be 786 hours for DPTE and 1176 hours for DECTE
Practicum
In CBTEC, practicum has been designed to be carried out for 600 hours. This shall be carried out in the third year for two terms
In certificate PTE course, the trainees undertook teaching practice (practicum) for two weeks in three terms totalling to six (6) weeks. This amounted to 240 hours for the entire course. Both Upgrading Programmes allows for another 300 hours for practicum
The trainees will be exposed to the pedagogical skills for all the learning areas taught in their level of training.
They will also be introduced to the new strategies of mentorship, coaching and reflective learning of teaching practice.
Upgrading Programme to DPTE and DECTE
After upgrading both Programmes meet the threshold for a diploma as guided by Kenya National Qualification Authority:
KNQA guides that a diploma should be between 2400hours and 3600 hours
Private colleges will be approved to offer the Upgrading Programmes
Summary Updates:
1. Both DPTE and DECTE Upgrading Programmes will report in October in the TTCs that did not have teacher trainees.
2. The upgrading programme shall take 4 terms for DPTE and 5 terms for DECTE. Both will have course work and a full term for practicum
3. Blended learning and distance learning will be considered in due course.
4. Graduates for the Upgrading Programmes shall be expected to teach all the subjects offered in the area of training.