The Senate has rejected a proposal by the Ministry of Education to merge Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teacher training with primary teacher education, warning that the move undermines devolution and risks destabilising early learning across counties.
Members of the Senate Education Committee said the plan, introduced through an administrative circular, oversteps constitutional boundaries by effectively reclaiming control of ECDE teacher training from county governments, where the function is devolved.
At the centre of the dispute is a Ministry proposal to combine the Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) and the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE) into a single qualification — the Diploma in Teacher Education for Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP & P).
Committee chairperson Senator Betty Montet told the meeting that any reforms touching on ECDE must be subjected to consultation with county governments and the public, insisting that policy shifts cannot be imposed unilaterally from Nairobi.
“This is not a minor administrative adjustment. It has real consequences for counties, training institutions and learners,” Senator Montet said during the deliberations.
Senators warned that the directive has already created confusion among students and teacher training colleges operating under existing ECDE frameworks.
Machakos Senator Kavindu Muthama said trainees were uncertain about the status of their qualifications and future deployment under the new structure.
Concerns were also raised over the potential impact on learning quality at the foundational level.
Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku Ole Kanar cautioned that ECDE requires specialised training, arguing that merging it with primary teacher education could weaken early learning under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
County governments have strongly opposed the plan. Appearing before the committee, Kericho Governor Dr Eric Kipkoech Mutai, representing the Council of Governors, said counties were not consulted before the Ministry issued the directive.
He warned that the merger could disrupt county education systems, strain already stretched budgets and reverse gains made in early childhood education since devolution was entrenched.
With the Senate signalling firm resistance, the proposed merger now faces a major setback, setting the stage for a renewed standoff between the national government and counties over control of early childhood education.
