Retooling for 19000 newly-recruited teachers commences nationwide

Over 19000 teacher interns, hired towards the end of the previous year, commenced training in various counties throughout the country on April 22, with appeals for higher reimbursement rates from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

Several teachers who communicated with Education News expressed dissatisfaction with the low rates that fail to adequately align with the soaring demands of living.

“The training locations are quite distant this time. We are forced to rent accommodations to save time,” remarked Dennis, a teacher intern from Busia County.

It was noted that, in contrast to last year’s retooling, most locations were altered due to a decline in some school administrations’ willingness to host the program, citing a prolonged delay in reimbursement for services rendered by the commission.

A survey conducted on the initial day of the retooling indicated that most centers in the Western region commenced the program earlier than anticipated. By 9 am, trainees had filled many centers.

In Navakholo, the program began early, with the TSC County Director stressing the importance of complete attendance by the teachers.

In the Eastern region, the event commenced smoothly, with Trainer of Trainers (TOTs) noting that the training proceeded at a relatively slow pace due to the trainees’ unfamiliarity with competency-based curricula.

In the Kangundo Sub-county, the number of male and female trainees was equal.

In the central region, many training centers were visited by financial institutions, which, according to the trainees, took up a significant portion of the time intended for training activities.

Additionally, the trainees expressed their concerns at several venues about the trainers engaging in extended discussions that strayed from the training content.

A few centers in the Rift Valley region began the activity late, such as the Kilgoris Sub-county, which started at 10:36 am. A malfunctioning projector frequently interrupted the session in the Ainabkoi Sub-county.

Significantly, April’s retooling initiative commenced well at most centers nationally. Special Needs Education (SNE) training occurred at the county level.

This time, the number of trainees was significantly lower. It was found that only age-based trainees from SNE institutions, including those focused on hearing, visual, and physical disabilities, were invited.

TSC’s April retooling of Science teachers commended for discipline and commitment

April’s retooling for the over 19,000 science-based teacher interns conducted by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was characterized by distinct features anticipated of any Junior Secondary School (JSS) cohort.

The event, which concluded last Friday, left many Master Trainers and Trainers of Trainees communicating and sharing insights across their regions to compare and contrast the attributes of April’s group.

While speaking to Education News during the concluding survey of the retooling, most trainers commended the April group for their impressive demonstration of discipline, expressing a desire for the exercise to extend beyond the planned timeframe.

In contrast to the arts-based teachers who underwent retooling throughout 2024, the science-based interns were observed to be punctual, often arriving at the training venues as early as 7:30 am.

“They made us arrive very early at the venues, unlike their arts counterparts, who would often keep us waiting for extended periods. This was a different group,” one of the trainers from Nairobi concurred.

In addition to adhering to and sustaining their arrival times, the teachers exhibited heightened enthusiasm during the training.

The majority of them actively took notes and readily asked questions, seeking clarification on topics that seemed unclear.
The teachers, who represented the majority among the first group to be retooled under a Competency-Based Curriculum, surprised the trainers by sharing practical experiences related to the training outcomes with notable self-confidence.

Their hands-on approach reportedly facilitated the trainers’ work, allowing them to cover the training content designed for five days within four days. The training schedule lost one day due to the Easter holidays.

Unlike the typically vocal teachers, whose inquiries often center around reimbursement amounts, food provisions, certification, airtime availability, and training duration, the April training centers were noted for their calm and engaging atmosphere.

The training also included Special Needs Education (SNE) teachers who conducted sessions at the county level. The survey indicated that pre-vocational teachers were excluded from the recently concluded exercise.

Intern teachers from age-based special schools, including those for hearing, visual, and physically impaired students, were the focus of April’s retooling. Additionally, it was observed that the TSC had not recruited teachers for the prevocational level in these special schools. Teachers managing intermediate levels are assigned to the prevocational classes, a situation that raises numerous concerns.