Teachers across the country will now be required to undergo professional development training six times in their career, their employer has said. A policy framework by the Teachers Service Commission, which was made public by chief executive Nancy Macharia on Monday indicates that those in the service would be trained after every five years. Every level of the training will take five years and it is structured in such a way that a teacher will move from one level to the next until the sixth. “A teacher beginning the training will be required to complete seven sections of module one in order to be re-certified,” says the framework, whose development was backed by UNICEF. Teachers will bear the cost of the training as is the case with other professionals, Mrs Macharia said.
However, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers deputy secretary general Moses Nturima criticized the commission for coming up with the policy “without proper consultation”. Similar concerns were raised by Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association. “We will reject this policy if we discover that it will not help teachers,” Mr Nturima said. For renewal of a teaching certificate, one must have completed seven sections of a module and provided documentary evidence to TSC.
“Teachers will be trained in not more than five days during school holidays. Upon commencement of the programme, a teacher will be required to acquire a certificate, which is renewable every five years while subsequent applicants for certificate of registration will be issued with both certificates,” the policy adds. Any teacher who fails to go for the short courses would be deemed to have violated the TSC code of regulation. Mrs Macharia said the development programme would address gaps identified in appraisals, facilitate career progression and ensure professional compliance.
Courtesy of Daily Nation