Ministry of Education Scraps Standalone ECDE Diploma, Raise Teacher Training Entry in Major CBE Reforms.
The Ministry of Education has moved to scrap the standalone Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (DECTE) and merge it with the Diploma in Primary Teacher Education (DPTE). The new qualification is the Diploma in Teacher Education Pre-Primary and Primary (DTE PP&P). The change is part of wider reforms to align teacher training with the Competency-Based Education (CBE) framework.
The merger is now contested. County governments, senators and a pre-primary teachers’ union have opposed it, and in February 2026 the High Court temporarily suspended the circular. The sections below explain what the circular says, why the Ministry issued it, and what is still unresolved.
What the Circular Says
The directive is a circular dated 19 January 2026 from the State Department for Basic Education (reference QAS/ECDE/7/1B/2/193). It was issued by the then Principal Secretary, Prof. Julius Bitok, and addressed to county and sub-county directors of education. It says that:
- DECTE has been merged with DPTE and re-designated as DTE PP&P.
- The Upgrade Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education (UDECTE) has been discontinued.
- The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) must not register candidates for assessment under DECTE or UDECTE.
- No admissions, and no registration or approval of colleges, may be processed for DECTE or UDECTE.
- Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) must offer DTE PP&P on a full-time basis, and school-based training remains suspended until further notice.
The programme runs for three years and is meant to prepare teachers for pre-primary (PP1 and PP2) through Grade 6.
Entry Requirements
Reports say the merged programme requires a minimum KCSE mean grade of C (plain). Accounts differ on how much this changes. Some reports describe it as a higher bar that locks out candidates who scored below C (plain). However, a current KUCCPS listing already showed C (plain) as the minimum for the early childhood diploma. One report describes the new requirement as lower than before. Applicants should check the current KUCCPS and college requirements before applying.
Why the Ministry Made the Change
A Ministry official, speaking anonymously, said the merger is meant to strengthen the transition from pre-primary to primary school and to train teachers to support learners across the foundation years. Reports also say the Ministry has tied the change to recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reform, and that the Principal Secretary has said the standalone ECDE diploma had been abolished earlier and that some private colleges kept offering it. A merger of the two courses had also been reported as planned from September 2024.
Reports say graduates of the merged programme would be registered by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). They could seek employment with county governments, which run pre-primary education, or with TSC.
Opposition and the Court Challenge
Counties, senators and teachers’ unions have challenged the circular. The Council of Governors’ education committee chair said counties reject scrapping the standalone ECDE diploma and argued that ECDE training is specialised. Governors and senators asked the Ministry to withdraw it. Pre-primary education is a devolved function under the Constitution, and critics say the change needed the involvement of counties and the public.
The Kenya Union of Pre-Primary Education Teachers (KUNOPPET) went to the High Court. In February 2026, Justice Lawrence Mugambi issued an interim conservatory order suspending the circular pending further directions. The union argues that the merger removes specialisation, harms ECDE trainees who were upgrading their qualifications, and was introduced without proper process. The petition also raises whether TSC should have been involved and whether public participation requirements were met. The government’s position is that aligning the courses falls within its policy-making role and does not affect TSC’s mandate, since the Ministry does not recruit, promote, transfer or discipline teachers.
The petition was still pending in the reports reviewed for this article.
Where Things Stand for Trainees
Because of the court order, the status of DECTE and UDECTE admissions is unclear. Some reports continue to describe DECTE as abolished, while others note the court’s suspension of the circular. Reports also disagree on whether DTE PP&P has started: one says it has not yet begun, while another says KNEC was already assessing Year One DTE PP&P trainees in 2026.
Separately, reports say the Ministry has frozen intake of fresh school leavers into TTCs for three years from September 2026 to deal with a surplus of primary teachers. Under that approach, DPTE admissions are limited to serving teachers with a P1 certificate who are upgrading. KNEC is expected to release results for trainees who have finished their diplomas in December 2026.
Anyone affected should check the current position with their college, KUCCPS, KNEC and TSC before making decisions. TSC’s registration requirements for early childhood diploma holders are separate from the merged qualification, so a trainee should confirm whether their qualification will be recognised for registration.
Graduate Employment
Employment remains a concern. The chair of the Kenya Teachers Colleges Principals Association has said that few TTC graduates have been absorbed by TSC, that most of those absorbed had upgraded from P1, and that private schools have been hiring many of the others. TSC has reportedly planned to absorb about 30,000 teachers through internships and replacements in the financial year ending June 2027.
Conclusion
The merger of DECTE and DPTE into DTE PP&P is a significant change in how Kenya trains its early years and primary teachers. Its future depends on the High Court case, on how the Ministry responds to objections from counties and unions, and on how colleges, KNEC and TSC implement it. This article will need updating as the court decides the petition.