Graduate primary tutors grow three-fold in higher pay quest

Primary school headteachers at a past meeting in Mombasa. The number of graduate teachers in primary schools has grown three-fold over the last four years as more tutors upgraded their academic qualifications. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA  

By KIARIE NJOROGE, gkiarie@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• The data further shows that the number of primary school teachers holding a diploma nearly tripled to 39,143 during the period.
• The TSC reckons that the teachers’ upgrades to degrees could help address quality concerns in primary schools.

The number of graduate teachers in primary schools has grown three-fold over the last four years as more tutors upgraded their academic qualifications.

Official data shows that there were 21,218 graduate teachers last year compared to 6,262 in 2011, with female tutors outnumbering their male counterparts.

Traditionally, primary school teachers had certificates. But the expansion of universities outside main urban centres and the quest for higher pay have seen tutors troop to universities to earn degrees.

The data further shows that the number of primary school teachers holding a diploma nearly tripled to 39,143 during the period.
At 21, 218, primary school teachers with degrees stood at 10 per cent of 210, 991 tutors last year, up from 3.5 per cent in 2011.

“The number of graduate and S1/diploma teachers increased by 9.6 per cent and 8.5 per cent, respectively, in 2015, due to the upgrading of teachers with relevant qualifications,” The Economic Survey 2016 shows.

The degrees have seen the teachers move to higher job groups, putting some primary school tutors at par with their secondary counterparts.

The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has opposed the push by a number of primary school teachers who scored below C+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination to be promoted after acquiring degrees. This is informed by the fact that C+ remains the minimum entry grade to public universities. 

READ: TSC publishes teacher appraisal plan despite protests

“Issues of upgrades depend on the scheme of service. If teachers fulfil the demands they must be upgraded,” Wilson Sossion, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) secretary-general said.

Quality concerns

The TSC reckons that the teachers’ upgrades to degrees could help address quality concerns in primary schools.

Several surveys have over the years highlighted the poor literacy levels among primary school pupils with a substantial number graduating without attaining basic numeracy and literacy skills.

This prompted the government in 2002 to raise the minimum entry grades to primary teacher training colleges (TTCs) to C plain in the KCSE examination and not the D plus previously required.

The rise in primary school graduate teachers has been aided by the expansion and opening of new universities.

The Ministry of Education upgraded 13 colleges to universities including Maasai Mara, University of Eldoret, Pwani and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga three years ago. This increased the number of public universities to 23, up from 10 in 2013

This expansion has increased enrolment in universities to more than half a million students.

Both public and private universities had 512,924 students last year, up from 443,783 a year earlier and 361,379 in 2013, the Economic Survey shows.

This is set to put pressure on the government to create jobs for the graduates whose number stood at 62,000 in 2002.

Kenya has poured billions of shillings to the free primary education programme but the quality of learning has been cast to doubt due to the quality of teachers and their number.

The Economic Survey shows that the overall number of teachers (including p1 tutors) stood at nearly 211,000 last year, up from 200,697 in the previous year.
gkiarie@ke.nationmedia.com