By Ongaga Ongaga
The Ministry of Education has ordered an immediate halt to admissions and assessment under the Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (D-ECTE).
This follows a major restructuring of teacher training programmes but is likely to attract backlash as many students are likely to be affected negatively.
In a circular addressed to County and Sub-County Directors of Education, the State Department for Basic Education announced that the DECTE course has been merged with the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE).
It has also been re-designated as the Diploma in Teacher Education – Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP & P).
“The Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) course has been merged with the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) and re-designated as the Diploma in Teacher Education – Pre-Primary and Primary,” the circular states.
As a result of the changes, the Upgrade Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (UDECTE) has been discontinued, and the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has been directed not to register any new candidates for assessment under the DECTE or UDECTE programmes.
The Ministry further directed that all Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) will now offer the new DTE PP & P programme strictly on a full-time basis, noting that the school-based mode of training remains suspended until further notice.
“This circular therefore directs that NO admissions shall be undertaken for the DECTE programme and NO registration or approval of colleges shall be processed to offer DECTE or UDECTE programmes,” reads the directive.
The changes take effect immediately.
It should be appreciated that ECDE is a critical foundation of Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE), catering for learners aged four to eight years.
Historically, ECDE teachers were trained under certificate and diploma programmes such as DECTE, with counties largely responsible for ECDE service delivery following devolution.
However, the rollout of CBE has placed new demands on teacher preparation, including stronger pedagogical skills, learner-centred instruction and continuity between pre-primary and lower primary education.
Education experts have long argued that separating ECDE and primary teacher training created gaps in curriculum delivery and learner transition.
The introduction of the DTE PP & P programme is aimed at addressing these concerns by producing teachers trained to handle both pre-primary and lower primary learners under one integrated framework.
The directive is expected to significantly affect private and public teacher training colleges that have been offering DECTE and UDECTE programmes, as well as in-service teachers seeking upgrades.
Colleges will now be required to align their curricula, staffing and facilities to meet the requirements of the new programme before seeking approval.
The circular was signed by Principal Secretary for Basic Education Amb. (Prof.) Julius K. Bitok, and copied to key agencies including KNEC, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Directorate of Teacher Education.