Teachers’ colleges grapple with low enrolment

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang addresses journalists during the National Dialogue on Education Quality and Learning forum at Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi on February 2, 2018. He has said the number of trainees joining teachers' colleges is on the decline. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Education committee vice-chairman Amos Kimunya expressed concern over the declining numbers.
  • Kenya Teachers Colleges Association chairman James Wachaga warned that unless the situation is addressed, facilities in colleges will go to waste.

The number of students joining teachers’ colleges has declined in the last two years due to poor performance in national examinations.

Diploma teachers’ colleges and primary teacher training colleges are now relying on candidates who sat their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination before 2016.

Basic Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang told National Assembly’s Education Committee that out of the projected 10,735 trainees, only 9,349 applied to join primary teachers’ colleges.

The ministry had further targeted 786 trainees for diploma colleges but only 650 applied.

SHORTAGE
Education committee vice-chairman Amos Kimunya expressed concern over the declining numbers, saying the sector may lack teachers in future.

Mr Kimunya asked the Teachers Service Commission chief executive Nancy Macharia, who was before the committee, to consider having an audit of all teachers undergoing training for future planning.

“We need to know how many trainees are in colleges so that we do not one day find we have no teachers to recruit,” Mr Kimunya said.

Kenya Teachers Colleges Association chairman James Wachaga warned that unless the situation is addressed, facilities in colleges will go to waste.

“We have no students to admit and most colleges now have empty spaces. We relied on students who sat their exams in 2015 and before.

"However, the number is almost exhausted and this year we do not know what we will admit,” Mr Wachaga said.

COURSES
Mr Wachaga observed that some colleges only managed to enrol a few male students as the majority of those who applied were female.

“We have colleges that have empty male student dormitories,” he observed.

The association now wants the grade for those joining teachers’ colleges reduced from C to C-.

Kenya Universities Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) chief executive John Muraguri said most students prefer courses such as medicine and other lucrative programmes as opposed to teaching.