Certificate/Diploma Programs

The first accredited phase of academic programs in the BHER Project is the Certificate and Diploma.

The goal of offering the certificate and diploma is multi-faceted. These credentials are designed to provide untrained refugee and local teachers with knowledge and pedagogical skills to better enable them to work as primary and secondary teachers. They also provide students with an opportunity to earn a post-secondary credential which in turn, under the ‘stackable’ model, may provide a pathway into degree programs.

General Objectives of BHER Certificate/Diploma Programs:

→ Improve the quality of teaching in primary and secondary schools in Dadaab
→ Provide post-secondary education opportunities to uncertified teachers
→ Provide transferable university credits that would enable students to enroll in other tertiary programs in Kenya and internationally

PRIMARY EDUCATION STREAM

Certificate of Completion in Educational Studies – Elementary (CES-E)

Conferred by: Faculty of Education, York University (YU)
Duration: 1 year
Credits earned: 30 credits (equivalent to 10 units in Kenyatta)

Students who successfully complete the 1-year CES-E will have their credits transferred into the 1-year DTE-P. The term ‘certificate’ in the YU context refers to the number of credits earned (30 credits in 1 year as opposed to 90-120 credits over 4 years in a degree), not the quality of the course content. ‘Degree-level’ courses are being transferred into the diploma.

Diploma in Teacher Education – Primary (DTE-P)

Conferred by: School of Education, Kenyatta University (KU)
Duration: 1 year
Credits earned: 10-12 KU units

SECONDARY EDUCATION STREAM

Diploma in Teacher Education – Secondary (DTE-S)

Conferred by: School of Education, Moi University (MU)
with courses offered in partnership with the Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia (UBC)

Duration: 2 years
Credits earned: 60 credits (equivalent to 10 units in Kenyatta)

Students who successfully complete their coursework in the primary or secondary stream will be eligible to apply for undergraduate degree programs offered through BHER.