Education Ministry Scraps ECDE Diploma, Sets C Grade Minimum for Teacher Training

Hundreds of Kenyan students and their families are facing immediate disruption after the government formally abolished the standalone Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE), restructuring access to teacher training across early years and primary education.

The decision, communicated through a Ministry of Education circular, replaces DECTE with a unified qualification known as the Diploma in Teacher Education for Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP and P). Under the new framework, early childhood and primary teacher training are combined into a single programme aligned with the Competency-Based Education (CBE) system.

A key change is the introduction of a uniform academic entry requirement. All applicants to diploma-level teacher training must now have a minimum Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) grade of C (plain). This applies to pre-primary education, ending a long-standing pathway that allowed candidates with D+ and lower grades to train as Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers.

The Upgrade Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (UDECTE), which enabled certificate holders to advance their qualifications, has also been discontinued. Education Principal Secretary Prof Julius Bitok confirmed that the changes take effect immediately and directed the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to stop registering candidates for the abolished programmes.

Teacher Training Colleges have been instructed to halt admissions to DECTE and UDECTE and to offer the new diploma only on a full-time basis. School-based training remains suspended under the revised guidelines.

According to the Ministry of Education, the reforms follow proposals endorsed during stakeholder consultations held in Mombasa last year, involving vice chancellors, college principals and other education sector representatives.

Supporters say the merged qualification reflects the integrated structure of CBE and prepares teachers to work across multiple learning levels. The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) has welcomed the changes.

Deputy Secretary General Hesbon Otieno said the new diploma strengthens the professional status of early years education and could improve prospects for employment through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), which has historically had limited involvement in pre-primary staffing.

Former Education Principal Secretary Dr Julius Jwan also supports the reform, arguing that the previous system restricted career progression for lower-grade entrants who trained solely for ECDE roles. He said the broader curriculum equips teachers with adaptable skills for both early childhood and primary education.

However, critics have raised concerns about the impact on early childhood specialisation. Prof Winston Akala, Principal of Koitaleel Samoei University College, said teaching young children requires focused training in child development and psychology, which differs from primary-level pedagogy.

He also pointed to governance challenges, noting that pre-primary education is managed by county governments, while primary education falls under the national government. Training teachers for both levels under a single programme, he said, raises unresolved questions about deployment, management and accountability.

Teacher training institutions are navigating an uneven transition. Some college principals say the directive was expected and had already been reflected in admissions from September 2024. Others have highlighted the effect on certificate-level ECDE teachers, many of whom entered the profession with low KCSE grades and now have no formal pathway to upgrade their qualifications.

Students currently enrolled in ECDE programmes at universities and colleges have expressed concern about the future recognition of their courses. Some fear that their qualifications may lose relevance under the new regulatory framework.

Employment prospects remain uncertain. The Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals Association (KTCPA) has warned that graduates trained under the CBE model have yet to be absorbed into public service. Its chairperson, Mr Wycliffe Nyongesa, said about 8,000 diploma-trained teachers remain unemployed, with most finding work only in private schools.