However, the current education structure of eight years of primary education, four of secondary and four of tertiary or university education (8-4-4) remains unchanged. These are the recommendations of a taskforce on education laws review, chaired by a veteran educationist, Mr James Kamunge.
The taskforce has prepared a report and also a draft education Bill, which consolidates all pieces of legislation into one - Draft Bill on Education, Training and Research. The new agencies to manage the teaching profession are: the Teachers Service Commission (TSC); the Teachers Accreditation Board; and the Teachers Service Appeal Board.
The TSC will be responsible for recruiting and employing teachers, promoting or transferring them, terminating their services or assigning them any other tasks.
The Teachers Accreditation Board will be responsible for licensing and accrediting teachers, maintain a data bank of qualified teachers and periodically conduct assessment to determine the future competencies required in the profession.
It will also equate and accredit teachers' qualifications, provide policies and regulations on professional conduct of teachers and also be involved in maintaining quality in the teaching service.
Both the TSC and the board will have 16 commissioners, including the chairman appointed by the minister for Education.
These new proposals on education reform were to be discussed two weeks ago in Nairobi by key interest groups in education so that they could be approved before the draft Bill is presented to Parliament for legislation.
For the first time in history, education will be entrenched in the Constitution as a basic right. "All Kenyans shall have the right to education, training and research and shall not be denied that right by reason only of race, ethnic or social origin, colour, language or place of birth, culture, gender, pregnancy, marital status, health status, disability, religion, belief or conscience or age," says the draft Bill.
Source: All Africa
To receive regular email alerts, contact us at updates@developmentprogram.org
Click here for Newsletter Archive |
