Eight years on, teachers institute eyes degrees

Talk of Valley Teachers Training College in Bureti district and it rings a bell to hundreds of graduates who have studied at the institution in various disciplines, eight years since its inception.

The privately owned teachers college in Kericho County has a pleasant environment, with birds chirping and hoping between the trees in the compound and the red roses in the gardens.

The running of the college is overseen by principal Lillie Ngeny. She is the one who reveals that the institution was established in 2004.

It started as a commercial learning centre offering certificate and diploma courses in business and early childhood development education (ECDE).

These courses are still being offered, although the institution has expanded its curriculum to cater for other disciplines that hitherto were previously not provided for.

According to Mrs Ngeny, the college has since its inception been an examination centre for Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examinations Board (KASNEB) programmes. Students drawn from various parts of the country sit for their examinations at the institute.

It was in 2010 that the college introduced P1 teacher certificate courses to run alongside its traditional programmes.

The management, explains the principal, introduced the teacher training courses in response to a demand in both public and privately owned academies.

It was to supplement the government’s efforts in the production of qualified personnel for the education sector.

The first batch of trainees undertaking PI certificate is about to complete studies.

Other courses on offer at the college include ICT as well as simple computer packages.

VTTC is located 200 meters from Litein trading centre off the Sotik-Kericho highway.

It occupies five acres of land, and employs 14 lecturers and 11 non-teaching.

It accommodates about 400 trainees, both regular and part time.

Plans are on to introduce degrees courses, according to the principal, who reveals that at the moment, the management is open to a collaboration with any willing public university for the purpose.

The institute also practices dairy farming. The unit not only exposes trainees to modern techniques of the dairy trade, but also serves as a public demonstration centre on the frequently changing technologies in dairy production.