A decision to lower the entry grades for students enrolling on the Diploma Teacher Education (DPTE) programme could be behind the mass failures reported this year by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), the Nation can reveal.
Of the 25,098 candidates who sat the examination, 9,792 candidates (39.02%) were referred. Mathematics was the principal driver of referrals, with 6,815 candidates failing the subject. Kiswahili recorded 2,988 failures, while English recorded 1,514. The candidature was a sharp rise from the 182 who sat the examination the previous year.
The decision to lower the minimum entry grade from a mean grade of C (plain) and cluster subjects was one of the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER) that submitted its report in June 2023. The decision was informed by the need to shore up numbers in teacher training colleges as only a few candidates qualified under the previous requirement.
Fast forward to three years after that decision, students across various teacher training colleges (TTCs) who had completed their studies in May this year were shocked to receive results that saw close to 40 percent of the candidates getting referrals (failure and having to repeat). It was the first class to be examined since the reform was effected.
Teachers who train for the DPTE are deployed to primary schools, following the phasing out of the Primary Teacher Education certificate, popularly known as P1. The move was informed by the need to have better qualified teachers to handle the rigours of the competency-based education (CBE).
The chief executive officer of KNEC Dr David Njengere, in an exclusive interview with the Nation, said there is a correlation between the entry grades of the teacher trainees and their performance at the end of the course.
“The entry behaviour is the biggest challenge. The requirement of a C was waived. Originally, there was a requirement that you must have a C in mathematics and English. But then that was removed because the number of candidates who were making it to the diploma colleges was very low,” Dr Njengere said.
He added that the change in entry requirements meant that candidates with grades as low as D and E in mathematics could enrol, despite the demands of the diploma curriculum. Of the 2026 class, only 3,644 candidates (14.52%) had attained grade C (Plain) or above in KCSE mathematics, while 17,137 candidates (68.27%) had grades between D (Plain) and E.
“The pitch for a diploma in mathematics would be a challenge for anybody with a D in mathematics. These are the possible issues. That’s why I said we need time to do the analysis,” he said.
Dr Njengere said enrolment in TTCs had also risen sharply. This year, over 20,000 sat the examination, underscoring the need for a comprehensive analysis of the results before conclusions could be drawn. Failure to train enough DPTE teachers could greatly undermine the implementation of the CBE.
“The available evidence points to a combination of weak entry-level achievement, rapid expansion in candidature, inadequate institutional capacity, weak School-Based Assessment (SBA) implementation, staffing challenges, infrastructure constraints and learner discipline or compliance issues at specific colleges,” Dr Njengere said.
As a remedial measure, Dr Njengere said KNEC would administer supplementary examinations in January 2027 for the candidates who had not met the required grade to qualify for graduation.
Kenya National Examinations Council Chief Executive Officer, Dr David Njengere.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
“Yes indeed we have a substantial number of refers from all our colleges. But these are provisional results,” he said.
The deputy secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Hesbon Otieno said the challenges could be undermining the quality of teacher preparation as colleges adjust to the CBE.
He questioned whether tutors had received adequate capacity building to understand the new curriculum and effectively prepare trainees for the demands of diploma-level teacher education.
“If we have a large number of trainees being referred, it means that the quality of training needs to be re-examined. We need to conduct an assessment to establish what is causing the high number of referrals and identify the areas that require intervention,” he said.
He also pointed to inadequate facilities in some colleges, warning that the shift from knowledge-based to competency-based training requires resources that support practical learning rather than an overreliance on theory.
“The facilities required to train teachers are not adequate. Some of the colleges are ill-equipped. We are shifting from knowledge-based to competency-based education, and the facilities that support competency-based education should be available in every teacher training college,” he said.
“We need to establish whether teacher trainers have the required competencies and knowledge to impart to students an understanding of the curriculum designs developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development. Have they received adequate capacity building to equip them with the knowledge and pedagogical skills required under CBE?” he posed.
Mosoriot TTC recorded the highest number of referrals at 927 out of 964 candidates, leaving only 17 qualifying for graduation. Nakuru TTC followed with 541 referrals out of 548 candidates, while Kaimosi TTC recorded 442 out of 665 candidates.
Borabu TTC had 538 referrals out of 627 candidates, while Asumbi TTC recorded 442 out of 749 candidates. Kaimosi TTC had 430 referrals out of 675 candidates, while Thogoto TTC recorded 420 out of 752 candidates. Eregi TTC had 371 out of 879 candidates.
The National Parents Association chairman Silas Obuhatsa has called for an investigation into the high number of referrals, citing financial difficulties, inadequate infrastructure and student discipline as possible contributors to the poor performance.
Mr Obuhatsa said some trainees may have missed classes because of unpaid fees, while others could have struggled academically after spending several years out of school following their KCSE examinations.
“There are many reasons why trainee teachers get referrals, including staying out of class due to required payments such as fees. Another reason could be their academic background at admission and the length of time some had stayed out of school after KCSE,” he said.
He urged the Ministry of Education's quality assurance officers to investigate the high number of referrals and establish whether the challenges point to wider problems in TTCs.
National Parents Association Chairman David Obuhatsa Silas (centre) and other members of the association.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
“The government should seriously investigate the causes of these high numbers, including financial support, infrastructure and discipline among students while in college, and come up with a solution,” he said.
“The 39.02 percent overall referral rate therefore reflects both learner-readiness gaps and institutional implementation weaknesses. Corrective action should combine immediate support for referred candidates with medium-term quality assurance reforms,” Dr Njengere said.
