Teachers who will not attend the controversial Teacher Professional Development (TPD) training will now part ways with their jobs.
Both public and private school teachers registered by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) must attend the training which is aligned with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
By attending TPD training, teachers will then be issued with a teaching certificate which is a license that allows them to teach.
This license is renewable after every five years and only issued after taking the TPD modules.
Each TPD module takes five years. There are six modules meaning a teacher will take thirty years to complete all the modules.
Once the new TSC Act is enacted all teachers employed by the Commission will be issued with a teaching certificate.
Like engineers, doctors and nurses, teachers now will be required to have a license before teaching.
The Commission has already started the process to amend the Teachers Service Commission Act to make the TPD training mandatory.
TSC has called for public participation on the TSC Act Amendment Bill, 2024, that, if enacted, would see the commission become one of the most powerful constitutional bodies.
Last week TSC published a tender inviting education institutions wishing to provide TPD training to teachers to apply by 14th, February, 2024.
Teachers will from December 2024 resume TPD training which is now empowered by the Kenya Kwanza government.
In May when she appeared before the Parliamentary Education Committee, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia explained that due to the dynamic teaching environment, professional teacher development is a prerequisite for effective teaching and learning in the classroom.
TPD involves the career-long processes and related systems and policies designed to enable educators (teachers, administrators, and supervisors) to acquire, broaden, and deepen their knowledge, skills, and competencies in order to effectively perform their work.
“Professional Development is the continuous updating of professional knowledge and improvement of personal competence throughout one’s teaching life,” she said.
Macharia had requested a total of sh 4.2 billion for teacher promotion and TPD program to be allocated in July 2023-2024 budget.
In May when she appeared before the Parliamentary Education Committee, TSC CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia explained that due to the dynamic teaching environment, professional teacher development is a prerequisite for effective teaching and learning in the classroom.
TPD involves the career-long processes and related systems and policies designed to enable educators (teachers, administrators, and supervisors) to acquire, broaden, and deepen their knowledge, skills, and competencies in order to effectively perform their work.
“Professional Development is the continuous updating of professional knowledge and improvement of personal competence throughout one’s teaching life,” she said.
Macharia had requested a total of sh 4.2 billion for teacher promotion and TPD program to be allocated in July 2023-2024 budget.
Below is what the section of the new TSC Act says regarding teacher training and licensing.
Teaching standards and professional development” 35.
(1) The Commission shall take all necessary steps to ensure that persons in the teaching service comply with the teaching standards;
(2) For purposes of subsection (1), the Commission shall;
(a) require every registered teacher to undertake continuous professional development programmes
(b) require every registered teacher to take out a practicing certificate;
(3) A teacher who fails to;
(a) undertake prescribed continuous professional development programmes; or
(b) take out a practicing certificate under section 35(2)(b) of this Act, is prohibited from teaching.
(4) the Commission may;
(a) enter into agreements with any institution, body, department or agency of the Government pursuant to its functions and powers prescribed under this section; and
(b) appoint an agent or designate a member or staff of the Commission who may enter any educational institution and make an enquiry in that regard.
(5) The Commission shall develop Regulations for the better carrying into effect the provisions of this section