TSC’s decision on P1 teachers sound

Universities and the Kenya National Union of Teachers have scoffed at the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) refusal to promote P1 teachers who got less than C+ to graduate status.

TSC has argued the P1 certificate course is not sufficient to make up for teachers’ initial inability to qualify for a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree.

TSC Secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni is reported to have said applicants should ideally undertake a diploma course that he deems sufficient to bridge the gap created by their low KCSE grades.

The decision may look unduly harsh to teachers who had undertaken the course and those taking it.

However, TSC is simply making a statement to the effect that the P1 course is not sufficient to qualify those who had not initially qualified for a BEd course.

A further statement it is making is that universities could be flouting their rules for reasons other than academic excellence.

Public universities require students to attain a minimum of C+ to qualify for their degree programmes.

Parallel programme

They still require students enrolling in parallel programmes to possess a minimum of C+, or an equivalent diploma certification.

Why some of them have been indiscriminately enrolling P1 trained teachers without looking at their KCSE results is a mystery.

We, however, have those who attained a minimum of C+ but joined teacher training colleges for a P1 certificate course because of the cut-off points. The TSC has no hesitation in promoting this lot.

All it is telling the rest is that they should upgrade their KCSE grades, like many do in other professions, to study for BEd.

The secondary school is perhaps the most important tier in our educational system.

This phase is tasked with the largest responsibility of providing the basic education needed for preparing for college. The importance of a quality teaching force is key to achieving set goals and objectives.

Only 30 per cent of students with the minimum entry requirements for admission into universities are admitted. It is the country’s limited capacity that is responsible for the current mess.

Vision 2030

TSC is informed by the ambitions underlying Vision 2030 in saying that those being admitted into BEd course should satisfy basic minimum entry requirements and if they don’t, should undertake a bridging course.

The Ministry of Education has already increased the minimum entry requirements for P1 from D+ to C. It has plans to start offering diplomas to P1 teachers in an effort to strengthen the competence of primary school teachers.

It is, therefore, disingenuous for any university to argue against TSC’s decision. It is sheer naivety to argue that P1 certification is a valid qualification for admission into a degree course.

Universities should play their part in providing superior education and training. They must not fudge and compromise graduates’ competence.

One way of doing this is by ensuring those it admits have all requisite qualifications before they embark on a degree course.

The watchword should be quality all the way.

{Kennedy Buhere, via e-mail}