In addition the university which is also one of the service providers picked by Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to offer teacher training is offering free refreshments and writing materials to tutors enrolling for Teacher Professional Development (TPD) programme.
The university says it will facilitate transportation of teachers to the training venues as well as provide subsidized data bundles as it partners with Safaricom.
Mount Kenya University (MKU) became the first varsity to advertise and call on teachers to register for the programme.
However this offer according to its promoters is only for teachers registering with Mount Kenya University.
The teacher training programme is scheduled to start this December and will be purely online (virtual).
Other institutions picked by TSC to offer the training are Riara University, Kenyatta University and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI).
During the December training teachers will be introduced to the first module, Introductory module.
This program will introduce teachers to Teacher Professional Development and to the Seven Kenya Professional Teaching Standards (KePTS).
The introductory module has five chapters, which are expected to be completed within one year.
The content of each chapter is based on current knowledge and research applicable to the practical needs of a Kenyan classroom teacher.
After the introductory module, the teachers and the instructional leaders will then proceed to the level one module.
There will be two different modules: One for the Teachers and the one for Instructional Leaders.
Level One module will have 5 chapters. A teacher or an instructional leader will take one chapter per year for a period of 5 years but to a maximum of 7 years.
Level two to Level six modules will each take 5 years.
Despite some teachers opposing the programme, the Commission has vowed to proceed with its plans to train its teachers.
“It is the question of what do we want best for our teachers, the future of a teacher in the country, the 21st century teacher. We would like to get a professionalized teacher, and that one we are not relenting on it,” said TSC Director of Quality Assurance and Standards, Dr. Reuben Nthamburi.
MKU has also spread the sh. 6,000 teachers are required to pay annually for the programme. Its promoters are asking teachers to pay sh. 1,000 for registration and the rest spread for twelve months.
| Course | Requirements | Target Group | Duration | Annual Fees | Award |
| Introductory module | Registration by Teachers Service Commission | Registered teachers and instructional leaders in private and public primary & secondary schools and trainers in tertiary institutions in Kenya. | 1 year | Ksh 6,000 | Introductory module transcript |
| Module 1 Chapter 1 – 5 | Completion of Introductory module | Registered teachers and instructional leaders in private and public primary & secondary schools and trainers in tertiary institutions in Kenya. | 5 years-One chapter per year | Ksh 6,000 per chapter | Module one Certificate Renewal of Teaching Certificate |
TSC launched TPD programme in September this year at CEMASTEA in Nairobi.
TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Njeri Macharia said the TPDs are part of Performance Management and Evaluation programme which teachers unions agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) 2021 – 2025.
“In compliance with Regulation 48 (1) of the CORT and with a view to enhance and maintain high performance standards in the teaching service, the Commission shall implement continuous the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Programmes and Performance Management system in the teaching service,” said Nancy Macharia in a circular 14/2021.
TSC signed a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) and Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers (KUSNET) on 13th July 2021.
The CBAs were registered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on 27th August, 2021 as required under Section 60 of the Labour Relations Act.
According to Nancy Macharia every teacher who successfully completes the TPD programme shall be issued with a Teaching Certificate contemplated under Regulation 49 (1) of the CORT.
Teachers will also be required to regularly update their TPAD2 which will capture the TPD modules and chapters they have studied.
Each of the 340,000 teachers will undertake the professional courses that will inform their promotion and professional growth.
The teachers will also be required to renew their teaching certificate every five years, and only if they regularly take the courses.
“We had a very hard time in negotiating for teachers because when you are at the negotiations table they referred to teachers as unskilled or semi-skilled. We need to see our teachers conduct reseach projects and write academic and acclaimed research papers to improve the quality in schools,” said Nancy Macharia during the launch.
However the Commission is facing resistance from some teachers who have vowed not to take part in the programme.
According to the teachers TSC and the training institutions are out to frustrate teachers and fleece them of their hard earned cash.
Recently a group of teachers under their umbrella Kenya National Teachers Pressure Group (KNTPG) have come out calling teachers to stop registering for TPD training.
Led by their spokesperson Martha Omolo the teachers say the programme together with AON Minet medical cover for teachers are cash cows for the employer.
The group is calling for review of the AON medical cover and a halt for the TPD programme.
Martha together with her colleagues have suffered transfers to far flung areas for fighting the TPD and AON Minet.
Two weeks ago the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Basic Education Dr. Sarah Ruto said implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) is in jeopardy because of a big number of teachers who lack skills in teaching the new curriculum.
Dr. Ruto said the shortage of skilled teachers threatens to slow down implementation of the new curriculum within the set time frame.
Ruto said this as she revealed that only 20,000 teachers have applied for TPD programme scheduled to start this December.
“Teachers are instrumental to the implementation of CBC, and the Ministry of Education’s emphasis for the teachers to go for advanced training is to fasten the roll-out of the programme by 2023,” stated Dr Ruto.
Ruto urged teachers to seek funding from County and NG-CDF bursaries for the training which is key to smooth implementation of CBC.
“For now, we are urging teachers to exploit the existing funding from NG-CDF and county education bursaries. We know one of the critical challenges is lack of school fees, and we are asking them to just make efforts to acquire training for the betterment of our young generation,” said Ruto.