The government has funded training of CBC teachers across the country to a tune of Sh3.4 billion even as preparations for transition to junior secondary gets on top gear.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) CEO Dr. Nancy Macharia said 229,292 primary school teachers from both public and private schools for grades one to five (1-5) and 1,166 tutors from various Teachers training colleges have already been trained.
She explained that the trainings were conducted through the cascade model, and were coordinated by a multi-agency approach to ensure all syllabus areas were covered.
Macharia at the same time assured that the government was adequately building the capacity of secondary school teachers ahead of junior secondary roll-out.
She said TSC was working with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) and other training institutions to develop appropriate teaching content that will be accessed on-line by the concerned teachers.
The CEO was speaking in Naivasha during a one-day press engagement conference, where she challenged the media to help in professionalizing teaching by reporting teachers’ issues objectively and updating teachers on global trends that could improve on their competency.
On the ongoing Teacher Profession Development (TPD) programme, Dr. Macharia clarified that TSC Act 2012, mandated the commission to ensure all registered teachers comply with teaching standards prescribed by the regulations, made under the Act and warned teachers who will fail to comply that they will be dealt with according to regulations spelt in the law.
The CEO defended the selection exercise for the TPD training centers saying most of the institutions which were left out did not apply for the opportunity, while a number of others did not qualify as most of them did not have training centers at the county level as was required in the advert.
By Esther Mwangi
