Teachers will be required to dig deep into their pockets to pay Ksh. 6,000 annually for teacher professional development (tpd) training programme that is set to start in April.

This is after the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) signed a deal with four higher learning institutions to provide the training modules.

A total of 472,000 teachers from both the TSC and the private sector will have to undergo the development training six times in their teaching career.

Another group of 300,000 teachers who are just registered but not employed is yet to know their fate in this training exercise.

Kenya National Union of Teachers has been in the forefront to oppose the training from going on demanding that more consultation should be done.

It is however clear that the scheme will start despite these protests.

Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University, Riara University, and the Kenya Education Management Institute are the institutions that have been entrusted to conduct the scheme.

The TSC has started training lecturers who are expected to take charge of the programme in these institutions.

The mentioned number of teachers from both sectors will cough up a whopping Sh2.8 billion, which will be paid to training institutions.

Teachers in the service will be trained after every half-decade at different levels that will take five years each for six years.

According to the teachers’ employer TSC, the Sh6,000 fee is inclusive of all the training sessions, assessment, monitoring, and evaluation as well as all other costs incurred.

The amount is collected directly by the responsible institution and the commission will not be accountable for the non-payment of fees by any of the teachers or instructional leaders.

Teachers will have to attend the sessions in person while some other training will be conducted online.

This will be done during the school holidays.