Bachelor of Education degree to take 5 years over CBC requirements

Students joining universities to pursue the popular Bachelor of Education degrees under the competency based curriculum (CBC) will be required to study for five and a half years.

Currently, Bachelor of Education degrees take four years.

Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) chief executive Agnes Wahome has written to vice-chancellors in both public and private universities directing them to adjust and review their programmes to align them with new proposals from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

“On February 24, the placement service received proposals on the reviewed placement criteria to degree programmes from the TSC,” said Dr Wahome in the circular dated April 26. She said TSC proposals take cognisance of the introduction of a number of education courses and recommendations of the CBC Taskforce.

According to TSC chief executive Nancy Macharia, each student pursing education should have three teaching subjects, (two major subjects and one minor) for cost effectiveness and proper utilisation of the teacher.

“This will assist the commission to handle the new areas that have been introduced in the CBC for junior and senior secondary,” said Ms Macharia, adding that “the whole course will take five years and a half”.

Ms Macharia said students will be required to undertake a two full-term practicum of six months after completing the course.

TSC has set the entry grade for the education degree courses as Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) mean grade of C+ with a minimum of B- in the three teaching subjects.

In the TSC proposals, students pursuing Bachelor of Education in Technology are required to have two teaching subjects at minimum with a B-in the teaching subjects. The students will also be required to have a minimum of C (plain) in mathematics, physics and chemistry, which are the foundational subjects.

“The areas identified in these courses are related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pathway, careers and technology strand,” reads the proposal.

The commission says the subjects will prepare teachers to teach the subjects from Grade Seven in junior secondary to Grade 12 in senior secondary.

Those to pursue Bachelor of Education (science) and Agriculture education are required to have at least a B- in the two teaching subjects and to have attained C (plain) in English and mathematics.

Bachelor of Science (education) will require students to have at least a B (plain) in two teaching subjects and a C (plain) in English and mathematics.

Students pursuing Bachelor of Education (arts, fine arts, german, guidance and counselling, french, home science and technology, home economics, physical education) and Bachelor of Education (early childhood) are required to have a minimum of B- in two teaching subjects and a C (plain) in English, Kiswahili and mathematics.

The teachers will be in the visual and performing arts pathway.

Those hoping to pursue a Bachelor of Education in special needs will be required to have a C+ in two teaching subjects and a C (plain) in mathematics, English and Kiswahili.

In all the degree programmes, students will also be required to pursue additional professional courses in curriculum development, psychology and sociology in education, mentorship and coaching programmes, performance management, education action research management, foundations in education and educational leadership.

Diploma in Education students are required to have a minimum of C+ and a similar grade in two teaching subjects. They are also required to have scored a C (Plain) in English and mathematics for science based courses and a C- in mathematics for art based courses.

The diploma programme at the universities will prepare the students to teach in pre-primary (PP1 and PP2) according to TSC.

A diploma in education in special needs at the university level requires a mean grade of C (plain) and C (plain) in two teaching subjects.