Tag Archives: Education news today 2021

Breaking Education News

Education news today- Schools to receive FSE funds

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Secondary schools will receive free education funds this week. This is according to Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha. He said secondary schools will receive close Sh15 billion.

“We shall release the money next week (this week) to schools and therefore no one should try to cause panic or anxiety,” He said on last Thursday.

According to school heads, their accounts have run dry and they may not adequately prepare for the administration of KCPE and KCSE examinations if the cash is not disbursed.

The Ministry of Education released Sh14.6 billion to fund secondary schools and another Sh4.6 billion for primary institutions when schools reopened in January this year.

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The government’s financing model of free education is spread in a 50:30:20 ratio meaning that half the money is sent during the First Term, 30 per cent in the Second Term and the balance released in Third Term.

In total each learner in all public secondary schools receives Sh22,244 per year under the government’s Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE) program. Of this Sh9,400 goes into operations including Personal Emoluments (Salaries and wages for BOM staff).

 TABLE SHOWING THE FDSE Structure

S/NO. ITEM AMOUNT (KES)
1 Tuition 4,144.00
2 Medical/ Insurance 2,000.00
3 Activity 1,500.00
4 SMASSE 200.00
5 Other Vote Heads 9,400.00
6 Maintenance and Improvement 5,000.00
7 Grand Total 22,244.00

Other vote heads: local travel and transport, Administration, Electricity, Personnel emolument.

The ministry uses data for learners registered with NEMIS (national education management information system).

Breaking Education News

Application for joining Teacher Training Colleges extended by the Ministry of Education

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Diploma Teacher Training Colleges Intake 2021/2022- The Ministry of education has extended the applications window for students wishing to join Diploma Teacher Training Colleges in 2021. According to a notice by the Education Ministry, those willing to apply for the course can do so between Tuesday April 6, and 20th April 2021.

Early Learning and Basic Education Principal Secretary Dr. Julius Jwan has said candidates could either pick Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) or Diploma in Early Childhood Development Teacher Education (DECTE).

But the applicants have been advised to avoid registering at more than one Centre.

“Candidates are advised to register in only one Centre,” PS Jwan warned.

The Ministry has been forced to extend the application window after reports indicated that they were unable to attract enough trainees in the first window that occurred between Tuesday 23rd February to 7th March, 2021.

REGISTRATION FORMS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Registration forms are now available and can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education’s website, www.education.go.ke.

Hard copies are available in the County Directors of Education (CDEs) offices. Duly filled registration forms should be submitted to Sub County Directors of Education Offices from Tuesday Tuesday April 6, and 20th April 2021 by the applicants in person.

Those with special needs are also encouraged to apply.

Candidates are advised to register in only one Centre double registration will lead to automatic disqualification

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION

The following are the recommended admission requirements for the Diploma in Primary and Early Childhood Development Teacher Education in Kenya.

a) Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (Grade 1-6) entry grade is KCSE Mean Grade
of C (Plain) or its equivalent with a C in the following cluster subjects.

i. English and Kiswahili;
ii. Mathematics;
iii. Humanities (Any);
iv. Sciences (Any).

b) For candidates with disabilities the minimum entry grade is C- (Minus) and a C-
(Minus) in the cluster of subjects stated above.
c) The duration of the course shall be three (3) years in accordance with the approved
Curriculum designs.
d) The Trainees shall be required to cover the recommended hours for coursework, required hours for practicum and pass the assessments as directed by Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
e) The Teacher Trainee shall undertake three months micro-teaching course which is a
pre-requisite for teaching practice.

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The new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course duration

The duration for the diploma training shall be three years, according to the approved curriculum designs.

Specialization areas in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course duration

The teachers’ trainees will only specialise in three subject areas, having attained a minimum KCSE grade of C (Plain) in the learning areas they wish to focus on.

The areas for specialisation have been grouped into four clusters, but teachers will only pick one subject per category for specialty.

Candidates shall specialise from the first year in at least three learning areas preferably from any one of the four clusters.

Cluster one subjects in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

  1. Kenya Sign Language
  2. Indigenous Languages
  3. Foreign Languages (German, French, Arabic and Mandarin (Chinese).

Cluster two subjects in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

  1. Mathematics
  2. Home Science
  3. Agriculture
  4. Science and Technology

Cluster three subjects in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

  1. Social Studies
  2. Religious Education (CRE, HRE, IRE)

Cluster four subjects in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

  1. Art and Craft
  2. Music

Mandatory subjects in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

  1. English
  2. Kiswahili,
  3. Physical and Health Education (PHE)
  4. Kenya sign language for hearing impaired.

Mandatory Learning areas in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

The mandatory learning areas will build on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the young teacher for effective lesson delivery.

Evaluation criteria in the new Diploma in Primary Education (DPTE) Course

Those who will be approved to teach in schools will have completed the required hours for coursework and passed the stipulated assessment as directed by the Kenya National Examinations Council, Knec.

They will also be required to have completed the required hours for the practicum and passed the stipulated assessment as directed by Knec.

There shall be three months micro-teaching undertaken as a course and will be a pre requisite for teaching practice.

During this period, teacher trainees will prepare learning and teaching materials and short lessons, which they will try on their peers for practice and feedback.

Placement of teacher trainees

These trainees upon completion of the course will be registered and employed by the Teachers service commission (TSC) to teach in primary schools across the country.

Remember to check the TSC minimum requirements for teachers before enrolling for any teaching course. Check the requirements in the links below;

LIST OF APPROVED TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGES TO OFFER THE NEW DIPLOMA IN PRIMARY TEACHER EDUCATION COURSE.

Here is the list of the approved TTCs:

S/NO. NAME OF COLLEGE
1 MIGORI TTC
2 ASUMBI TTC
3 ST. PAUL’S NYABURURU TTC
4 KENYANYA TTC
5 BORABU TTC
6 MURANG’A TTC
7 KILIMAMBOGO TTC
8 KAMWENJA TTC
9 ARBERDERS TTC

 

See full list in the document below;

[embeddoc url=”https://educationnewshub.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/MINISTRY-OF-EDUCATION-APPROVED-COLLEGES-TO-OFFER-DIPLOMA-IN-EDUCATION-COURSE.pdf”]

Read also; Full list of all Teacher Training Colleges, TTCs, in Kenya

Breaking Education News

Education Ministry gets 300 multi-functional Orbit Readers

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It is a big sigh of relief for visually impaired secondary school students after the Ministry of Education received about 300 multi-functional Orbit Readers 20 from Unilever Kenya. The devices will assist the learners during their lessons.

While receiving the devices on Thursday at the Kenya Institute of Special Education headquarters in Nairobi, the Director of Special Needs Education, Fred Haga, expressed his joy saying the devices were very important as they will assist the blind and deaf-blind learners to more easily access education in schools.

He said lack of enough braille equipment was hampering the teaching-learning process for the visually challenged learners. Haga said this was derailing the Government’s commitment of ensuring that every child has access to quality education.

“Currently braille materials distribution ratio to students is 1:5 whilst the students with no disability enjoy the textbooks at a ratio of 1:1” Haga said.

The braille assistive devices worth Ksh 22 million were produced by Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KTBA) in partnership with the Kenya government to ensure sustainability for blind learners.

Susan Akuya demonstrates the use of the Orbit Reader at the KBTA Orbit Reader-20 donation. KBTA aims at providing digital literacy and skills to visually impaired learners in East Africa and Malawi.

Speaking at the event, the General Manager, Unilever Kenya, Ochieng Luck said the provision of learning materials to special schools demonstrates inclusivity, as they are important for the development and integration between learners who may have visual impairments with their sighted peers.

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The Orbit Reader 20 is also much lighter, can instantly access enormous amounts of content via Bluetooth. Using an SD card, it can store thousands of braille books or written text via the braille input keys.

Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa is a charitable trust working to enable visually impaired learners have access to education through Braille literacy and Innovative Assistive Technology. It has the following features:

  • a line of 20 braille cells with pins that arrange into the required pattern to accurately represent any six- or eight-dot braille code, in any language, and for any discipline,
  • reads the contents of files on an SD™ (Secure Digital) card for Stand-Alone mode,
  • remote connectivity to PCs and mobile devices for use with a screen reader,
  • simple editing functions and
  • signage-quality braille.
Breaking Education News

Counseling programme to benefit young mothers in schools

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Nyandarua Women Representative Faith Gitau is set to roll out a counseling programme for all young mothers in primary and secondary schools across the county.

While noting the need to have the girls morally supported, Gitau said re-entry of teenage mothers back to school demands attention to ensure they excel in their academic performance.

She regretted that some of the girls in school may suffer stigmatization, ridicule and abuse from other learners hence the need for counseling.

“Our daughters who got pregnant during the Covid-19 break deserve to have counseling session that will help them cope with their status. My office is set to conduct counseling sessions across the county so that we can help them accept themselves and excel in their education,” said the MP.

Gitau added that interactions among different individuals within the academic, social systems and the communities hosting the girls might make them adopt different characteristics or withdraw from institutions of learning before completion of their studies.

The MP who was speaking Thursday, while issuing bursary funds to vulnerable children in the county added that the programme will also seek to have parents of the young mothers counseled so as to offer a conducive environment for them while at home.

Last year, Nyandarua county witnessed runaway pregnancies with over 800 school girls having fallen victims to the vice after schools were closed for long due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

While decrying a high number of young mothers in the area, Nyandarua North sub county Kenya Secondary Schools Head Teachers Association chair John Njoroge noted that there were no well laid strategies in place to help teenage mothers cope and resume learning after delivery.

Njoroge said counseling those who are still pregnant and those who have already delivered will help in relieving them the physiological pressure.

At the same time, he called on the ministry of education to support the initiative by incorporating it in the school curriculum.

Meanwhile, students who benefited from the bursary allocation said it would help in relieving pressure from their parent and guardians and also keep them in school.

KNEC News Portal, KUCCPS News Portal

CS Magoha issues instructions to Knec contracted professionals ahead of the KCSE, KCPE exams

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SPEECH BY PROF. GEORGE A. O. MAGOHA, EGH, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DURING THE LAUNCH OF 2020 NATIONAL EXAMINATION PERIOD AND ISSUING OF CONTAINER SECURITY PADLOCKS AT KENYA SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT ON THURSDAY 4TH FEBRUARY 2021

It is my honour and pleasure to launch the 2020 national examinations and officiate the issuing of security padlocks for the 479 containers to the Deputy County Commissioners and the Sub County Directors of Education today ahead of this year’s KCPE and KCSE.

As part of the Multi-sectoral Approach to the administration of national examinations, we are all assembled here this morning because the success or failure of this important exercise depends on all of us.

And since we have no option for failure, I urge all of us to firmly commit that we will play our roles with lots of military precision to ensure we achieve the highest levels of success in this examinations.

I wish to thank my fellow Cabinet Secretaries from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs for the joint effort and sacrifice that has been put towards supporting the provision of credible examinations in this country over the last four years. Because of this, we managed to stamp out the bad practice of leaking national examinations.

This year is, however, much different from the previous years given that we are operating in the COVID-19 era. As a result, I am urging all those who will be involved in the examinations administration to strictly comply with the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 protocols, which we have been enforcing in schools since the resumption of studies.

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Particularly, I wish to stress that:

  1. No Centre Manager should turn up at any examination container to collect or drop off
    examinations without wearing a face mask;
  2. All officials who attend to services at the examination centres must use sanitizer or wash their hands before being allowed to handle examination materials.
  3. At examination centres, all examination officials must wash their hands or sanitize before they can open examination scripts for distribution to candidates.
  4. All examination officials must regularly use sanitiser or wash their hands before frisking candidates ahead of the start of examination sittings.

At the Ministry of Education, I have today recalled all officers who were on leave right from the Sub-County Level to Jogoo House. All of us will be on duty on all days during the examinations season to ensure everything goes on as planned.

In liaison with all Ministries and Departments, we are prepared to steer a nationwide exercise in all parts of the country to ensure smooth running of the examinations.

To this end, I urge all of us to be mindful of our candidates, some of whom are in one way or the other affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We must all take cognizant of the environment of the 2020 examinations and give hope to all candidates by assuring them that none of them will be disadvantaged in the examination process.

The Ministry is also aware of plans that some centre managers are planning to retain teachers employed by the Board of Management (BOM) in schools to aid in cheating. The examination centres with such plans have been identified and are being monitored closely.

It’s important for all of us to ensure that all head teachers and other persons steer a credible examination process in 2020.

The Ministry of Education, Ministry of ICT, Ministry of interior and Coordination of National Government have agreed on strategies to enhance the security of the 2020 national examinations. The following have been agreed upon:

  1. Deputy County Commissioners (DCCS) and Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs), will be involved in the daily opening and closing of the containers in their respective Sub Counties.
  2. Each container will be manned by four armed security officers on a 24/7 basis once the examinations are delivered to the Sub Counties. Additional security officers will be deployed from time to time when need arises.
  3. Once the examination papers for the day have been issued, the container must be locked to be reopened when candidates’ answer scripts are returned after the day’s examinations.
  4. The security in charge of the container must adhere to the rules pertaining to the opening and closing of the container.
  5. Security officers will be used to escort the examination materials from the KNEC warehouse to the examination storage facilities in the Sub Counties. Upon arrival at the Sub Counties, the examinations will be handed over to the Sub County Directors of Education and the Deputy County Commissioners who will provide security for the examinations.
  6. All question papers will be escorted by armed security officers each day of the examination when the centre managers will be collecting and returning the candidates’
    answer scripts to the container. While at the examination centre, the security officers will ensure adequate security is provided to all the candidates and the examination materials.
  7. The centre manager must hand over examination materials to the Supervisor once he/she arrives at the examination centre. At no time should the examination papers be in the centre manager’s office. answer scripts to the container. While at the examination centre, the security officers will ensure adequate security is provided to all the candidates and the examination materials.
  8. The centre manager must hand over examination materials to the Supervisor once he/she arrives at the examination centre. At no time should the examination papers be in the centre manager’s office.
  9. Upon completion of the examinations, the Council will liaise with the Sub County Directors of Education and Deputy County Commissioners on when the candidates’ answer scripts will be returned to KNEC premises under armed security escort. While overseeing examinations, the vetted and appointed supervisors and invigilators must uphold integrity in execution of their roles. They should be vigilant and deter any form of examination malpractice.
  10. The Ministry of Education has banned supervisors and invigilators from being deployed in the same examination centres for more than two consecutive years in line with KNEC’s policy.

Let me reiterate that the Ministry will never tire in dealing with any form of examinations cheating. Let us allow candidates to apply their knowledge in the examination room.

Grade 4 Assessment

I wish to urge our colleagues from the education sector to ensure that the Grade 4 Assessment that begins next week goes on as planned. KNEC has already provided guidelines on this important assessment, which is part of the successful implementation of the Competency Based

Curriculum (CBC). The Grade 4 assessment will tae place from 8th to 18th March 2021. I urge parents to support our candidates during this period as they have always done.

Parents should not be duped into parting with money to aid any form of cheating in the KCPE and KCSE like has been the case in the past. The examinations will not be leaked whatsoever.

Our Regional Coordinators and County Directors of Education must be alert during this time of examinations and work closely with our TSC counterparts to ensure smooth running of examinations.

Once again, I wish to thank you for the support you have given to this national noble course on management of examinations.

Finally, I wish to inform the country that we have now supplied 98 per cent of the KSh1.9 Billion Economic Stimulus Programme Desks to targeted schools countrywide. We hope that centre will utilise some of these desks to ensure candidates sit their examinations in a more comfortable environment.

I wish all candidates the very best in their national examinations.