Confusion once again reigned Tuesday on minimum entry requirement for teachers' training colleges after a meeting chaired by Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed failed to unlock the impasse.
Conflicting reports emerged from Jogoo House where education stakeholders met to chat the way forward for the new D grade entry requirement gazetted by Amina.
Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), which developed the regulations, said a decision was arrived at to constitute a nine-member committee to oversee the process in line with court ruling.
Justice Bryam Ongaya of Employment and Labour Relations Court last week ordered Amina to convene an urgent meeting between TSC and KNQA.
The court ordered that TSC and KNQA regulations be harmonised before admissions to the colleges take pace.
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More time
But after hours of meeting yesterday, it emerged that TSC asked for more time to consult on the harmonisation of the regulations as ordered by the court.
TSC had protested lowering of teachers' entry grade and even sought legal opinion of the Attorney General.
Even though AG Kihara Kariuki said setting standards was a mandate of teachers' employer, Justice Ongaya ruled that TSC does not have the constitutional mandate to set training entry standards as its role was only advisory.
Again though reports from the meeting revealed the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) agreed to drop court process, it accused the ministry of forcing the regulations on Kenyans.
But Knut supported the lowering of the grades, signalling another war front between the two unions.
Meanwhile, the fate of the students who had already been admitted based on the low grades hangs in the balance.
