The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) current Secretary-General Collins Oyuu has come forward and pledged his support for TSC’s TPD programme.
However, many teachers have been venting their frustrations over the TPD and are not in support of the move with a yearly stipend of Sh. 6,000 for the training stressing the already cash-strapped pockets of many teachers.
The KNUT Sec-Gen argued that the TPD is a crucial tool in training and developing employers adding that there are many claims that are untrue that have been doing the rounds among teachers. Among them is that teachers will be required to travel.
According to reports, most of the tertiary institutions that TSC has allowed to conduct the TPD programme will set up training centres in areas close to most teachers.
Oyuu also implored TSC to provide more information on how the TPD programme will be carried out to help alleviate any reservations among teachers towards the programme.
“Some people have said that teachers are going to travel, this is not entirely true,” said Collins Oyuu.
Oyuu also urged stakeholders and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to work together to solve the TPD’s issues.
The TPD programme was established on the 22nd of September. The new module is going to involve teachers from public schools having to renew their professional certificates every five years.
In a six-year professional training, teachers will have to pay Sh. 6,000 every year. After the training, teachers will receive a professional teaching certificate apart from the academic certificates they acquired after graduating. The TSC teaching certificate will be renewed after every five years.
TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia defended the TPD saying that the teaching profession needed to be run like other professions like engineering and law.
According to the Commission, the use of journals, presentations and portfolios will be utilized to carry out TPD training. Successful teachers will get their teaching certificates renewed upon completion of each module.
Teachers who will not comply and fail to train will see their licences revoked. TSC’s objective is to raise the standards of teaching and maintain them at a high level to keep abreast with emerging trends in the education fraternity.