CBC requires teachers who are capable of developing the required competencies in learners, thus the increased focus on Teacher Professional Development (TPD). As per the current Teacher Service Commission (TSC) regulations, teachers have to undergo TPD to renew their teaching licence (certificate) after every five years.  

TSC has established coordinated and structured programs based on the Kenya Professional Teaching Standards (KePTS). The KePTS are a set of professional competency standards that describe what a Kenyan teacher should know and be able to do for improved learning outcomes. The standards are:  

  1. The teacher promotes professionalism throughout their career 
  2. The teacher has pedagogical content knowledge and understanding of competency-based curriculum and how to implement it.  
  3. The teacher has knowledge of assessment and reporting 
  4. The teacher knows how to create and support inclusive educational practices.  
  5. The teacher knows and promotes comprehensive school health and safety 
  6. The teacher has knowledge of financial literacy skills 
  7. The teacher knows and practices instructional leadership.  

METHODS OF TPD IN KENYA  

  1. Training from Accredited Institutions 

The TSC has accredited several institutions to provide TPD services. Each service provider must offer programs that cover the 7 KePTS and must be registered with the TSC. There are different categories of service providers as follows:  

  • Category 1: Government institution. They will align to at least one of the 7 KePTS 
  • Category 2: Non-government organizations in partnership with the commission. They will align to at least one of the KePTS 
  • Category 3: Organizations selected through competitive tendering. They will use the commission’s prescribed modules with all the 7 standards.  

The four main accredited training centres are Mount Kenya University, Kenyatta University, Riara University, and Kenya Education Management Institute. To attend these training programmes, teachers are required to pay an annual fee of KES. 6000. These centres offer this training during the school holidays.  

This method has raised a lot of tension and views among teachers. Some view it as not worth it due to the cost and the nature of the training being very scholarly and not practical, while others are okay with it.  

2. Training from KICD Trained Trainers  

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has also organized training for CBC. Trainers trained by the KICD host these training sessions in schools. This method is useful for reaching the teachers located in various parts of the country, as a handful of trainers can train several schools in their respective counties.  

These training sessions focus on:  

  • Competence-Based Curriculum 
  • Basic Education Curriculum Framework 
  • Mission and Vision statements 
  • National Goals of Education 
  • Pillars of the BECF 
  • Core competencies 
  • Organization of Basic Education 
  • Learning areas for Early Years Education (EYE) 

While this form of training is very useful for teachers who have not been adequately trained on the new curriculum, which is the majority according to KNUT, it does not cater to teachers who are already experienced with CBC.  

3. Stakeholder-organized training sessions 

Owing to the specific needs of educators teaching CBC, teachers have started organizing their own training in partnership with non-governmental organizations and private institutions. These trainings are an opportunity for teachers to receive specific and practical training on CBC.   

The training sessions are mainly focused mainly on 3 of the 7 KePTs, namely:  

  • The teacher has pedagogical content knowledge and understanding of competency-based curriculum and how to implement it. 
  • The teacher has knowledge of assessment and reporting 
  • The teacher knows how to create and support inclusive educational practices.  

Schools continue to organize these training sessions for their teachers to participate in during the holidays or on weekends. Alternatively, more and more teachers and schools continue to embrace online training as a medium to alleviate some of the upfront costs associated with physical training for both the schools and teachers.

TPD is an important piece in ensuring that we implement CBC correctly in our learning institutions. The move from teacher-centred to student-centred learning requires a shift in how teachers look at their role in the learning process.

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