Relief in Sight as KISE Says SNE Diploma Results Will Be Out Soon

KISE Assures SNE Diploma Teacher Education Candidates as Results Near Release

Institute asks Special Needs Education candidates for patience, promises results “very soon”

The Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE) has assured candidates who sat for Diploma examinations in various Special Needs Education (SNE) courses that their results will soon be released.

The assurance comes after days of anxiety among about 900 candidates who have yet to receive them.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) officially released the teacher examination results on 14 October for more than 10,000 candidates.

They covered the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE), the Diploma in Secondary Teacher Education (DSTE), the Teacher Certificate in Adult Education (TCAE), and SNE 1 and 2.

KNEC advised candidates to collect their results from their colleges. The council also noted that only colleges that had made full payment were issued with their candidates’ results.

Candidates left in limbo

While many candidates in other programmes have since received their results through their training colleges, the roughly 900 candidates who did their diplomas at KISE are still waiting. Among them are primary school teachers who took the course through in-service training.

For many, the wait is more than a formality. The results determine whether they can formally take up new roles, apply for deployment, or move up the career ladder. The delay has left many of them unsure of their next step.

KISE has now broken its silence. The institute has asked candidates to be patient while it irons out some outstanding issues before officially releasing the results, which it says will be out very soon. It has not publicly given a specific date.

Why the results matter for P1 teachers

For serving P1 teachers, the results are far more than a certificate on the wall. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) deploys P1 teachers who hold a Diploma in SNE to special schools and units to address staffing gaps in those institutions.

A teacher who passes the diploma therefore gains both a higher qualification and a clearer route to promotion and redeployment.

Special schools and units have long struggled with shortages of trained staff. Learners with visual, hearing, physical and intellectual disabilities need teachers with specialised skills, and the SNE Diploma is one of the main ways the system builds that pool of professionals.

How serving teachers can apply for the in-service Diploma

For P1 teachers hoping to pursue the Diploma through in-service training, the application process is straightforward.

All serving TSC teachers who wish to be considered for admission to the two-year, full-time SNE Diploma in-service course at KISE should note that application forms are usually available in two places.

They can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education website, www.education.go.ke, or collected from the nearest County Director of Education (CDE) or Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE) office.

Areas of specialisation vary from one intake to the next. Past options have included education of learners with:

• Visual Impairments
• Physical Impairments
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Hearing Impairments
• Autism
• Deafblindness

Completed forms must be submitted personally by the applicant to the SCDE’s office by a specific date in April, usually communicated by KISE, for the May intake.

Admission requirements

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. Be below 50 years of age.
2. Hold a P1 certificate, or P1 by promotion through Teacher Proficiency Courses.
3. Have served as a TSC teacher for at least five years.
4. Be a Kenyan citizen.

Documents required at registration

Each applicant must present the following documents in person at registration:

1. A duly filled application form in the applicant’s own handwriting (except for applicants with visual impairments).
2. Original and certified copies of academic certificates.
3. Original and certified copy of the TSC letter of appointment.
4. Original and certified copy of the professional teacher training certificate.
5. Original and certified copy of the National Identity Card (both sides) or passport.
6. A coloured passport-size photograph taken within the last three months.
7. Original and certified copies of other relevant testimonials.

Successful candidates are informed by SMS and advised on how to obtain their admission letters.

DPTE graduates begin receiving results

Elsewhere in the teacher training system, many candidates who sat the DPTE summative assessment in 2023 are already receiving their results through their Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs).

The results will enable them to seek employment with the TSC and with private schools.

The timing is helpful. The TSC has announced that it will conduct recruitment in November. TSC chairperson Jamleck Muturi has said the Commission will carry out both recruitment and replacement of teachers during that period.

The C1 question

According to the TSC, DPTE graduates employed by the Commission will be placed in job group C1. This differs from teachers with the Primary Teacher Education (PTE) certificate, who start at grade B5.

DPTE teachers will therefore share an entry job group with secondary school diploma teachers, who also start at C1.

The paths diverge after that. Secondary diploma teachers move automatically to C2 after three years at C1.

For primary teachers, C2 is not automatic. It is a competitive grade, so DPTE teachers must attend interviews and succeed before moving up, and many remain at C1 for long periods.

A shifting qualification landscape

The wider training environment is changing quickly. The government plans to phase out the DPTE course and replace it with the Diploma in Teacher Education, Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP&P).

While the DPTE prepares teachers for Grade 1 to Grade 6 only, graduates of the new diploma will be trained to teach from PP1 through Grade 6, in line with the structure of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC). The P1 certificate is also on its way out.

A new set of Career Progression Guidelines (CPG) is also expected. The current guidelines, introduced in 2018, are being phased out.

At the TSC’s 9 June 2026 stakeholder presentation, the proposal outlined a new path for primary diploma holders. Under it:

• Diploma holders would enter at Teacher 8, the grade to which today’s Primary Teacher 1 (C1) maps.
• Teacher 7, designated Senior Teacher (Primary), would be a common cadre grade. Today’s Senior Teacher 1 (C3) and Senior Teacher 2 (C2) would be merged into it, giving primary diploma holders a guaranteed first step up without competing in interviews.
• Promotion from Teacher 6 upward would be competitive and based on merit and demonstrated excellence rather than years served.

President William Ruto said on World Teachers’ Day on 5 October that the revised CPG is undergoing job evaluation.

It is expected to be integrated with the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in July 2027, when teachers are due a salary increment. The proposal is not yet final, and its details could change before adoption.

What candidates should do now

For the roughly 900 candidates still waiting, the main advice is patience, paired with active follow-up. Candidates should:

• Keep in regular contact with KISE through official channels, such as the Institute’s offices, notice boards and communication platforms, and avoid relying on rumours.

• Keep their documents, including identification and appointment letters, ready for when the results are released.

• Watch for TSC announcements on recruitment, deployment and redeployment to special schools and units, since results will be needed for any application.

• Follow developments on the new CPG and the phase-out of the DPTE and P1 qualifications, as these will affect long-term career planning.

For now, KISE’s message is that the delay is temporary and that the issues behind it are being resolved. Candidates who have spent two demanding years training to serve learners with special needs are hoping the promised release comes soon.

For many of them, a long-awaited promotion, a posting to a special school or a new career step depends on it.