TSC requests Universities to train teachers in understaffed subjects; without enough teachers

The Teachers Service Commission has urged universities to encourage students to take up courses in under staffed subjects. Through a memo sent to all university deans in the School of Education, TSC says that the subjects lacking enough personnel include: Drawing & Design, Home Science, Art & Design, Agriculture, Physical Education, Music and Computer Studies. “These subjects are lacking the required number of teachers who will be able to adequately provide the correct curriculum based establishment in Secondary Schools,” says the memo dated 19th October 2018 and written by TSC’s Dr. Nthamburi Mugwuku for the Chief Executive Officer.

The said subjects attract the least numbers of candidates in KCSE and are ofTEN referred to as ‘the small subjects’ by the Kenya National Examinations Council, KNEC. Some graduates from Universities offering Education degrees with Information Technology, IT, like (Maseno University) have been rejected by the TSC for not taking Micro teaching and Teaching practice units in Computer studies.

The Commission now asks universities to come up with ways of churning out more teachers in the mention subjects. “The purpose of this letter is to kindly request your universities to put measures to train who can be able teach these subjects in order to address the gaps”, adds Dr. Nthamburi.