TSC Releases New Requirements For Postgraduate Diplomas

Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) is a course that gives opportunities to students who pursued either bachelor of education arts or a bachelor of education science to become teachers.

According to the Teachers Service Commission, teachers can register and enroll for the PGDE if they want to build a career as technical teachers in a relevant area.

Teachers should meet the following minimum qualifications before enrolling for a PGDE:

1. Hold a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree from a recognized university in Kenya.
2. Must have scored a mean grade of C+ in your O levels.
3. You must have obtained a C+ grade (minimum) in the two teaching subjects you intend to specialize in.

Here are the PGDE requirements for those with technical qualifications:

1. Must have scored a mean grade of C+ in your O levels (or its equivalent). Also acceptable are 1 principal pass and 2 subsidiaries at the ‘A’ level.
2. You must have obtained a C+ grade (minimum) or a credit pass in the two technical subjects you intend to specialize in.
3. Have a Bed TECH (Bachelor of Education Technology) degree from a university approved by the CUE (commission of higher education) OR
4. Hold a Bachelor of Science (BSC) degree in the applicable technical Subject(s)/Course.

This would be an ideal route for those who, for some reason, are unwilling to pursue a DTTE (Diploma in Technical Teacher Education) from KTTC (Kenya Technical Teachers College).

Note that for the employment of technical teachers as described above, TSC asks for either a PDGE or a DTTE/postgraduate diploma in technical education from KTTC so you can do your math and see which of the two suits you best. All graduate teachers must have studied at least 8 course units at the undergraduate level in every teaching subject to be eligible. And this applies to all degrees.

There is another group of teachers who can gain from pursuing a PGDE. These are teachers who are planning to pursue a Master of Education (MeD.) degree, maybe for promotion reasons but were employed with a Bachelor of Arts/Science degree. TSC requires that they undertake a PGDE and then use it to apply for admission into the MeD program in any university offering the course in Kenya.

Lastly, teachers planning to pursue enhancement courses in certain subjects may be required to have a PGDE (please contact the TSC official in your sub-county education office for specific advice depending on the enhancement subject).

Universities Offering Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)

The following are some of the universities that offer Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE);

1. Kenyatta University
2. Mount Kenya University
3. University of Nairobi
4. Moi University
5. Egerton University
6. Maseno University
7. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
8. Kisii University
9. University of Eldoret
10. Chuka University
11. The University of Eastern Africa Baraton
12. Machakos University College
13. The Catholic University of Eastern Africa
14. The Presbyterian University of East Africa
15. Daystar University
16. KCA University