Author: Hezron Rooy

Headteachers Ask TSC to Confirm and Promote Acting Teachers in Northeastern The Kenya Primary Schools Headteachers Association—Northeastern Branch has called on the government to address understaffing. Chairman Hassan Farah remarked that many schools are led by headteachers and BOG teachers. He said this at the start of the two-day Kepsha regional conference at Garissa Primary School. Understaffing significantly impacts Garissa County, home to 231 primary schools. According to Farah, only 30 schools in towns are unaffected by this issue. They have not taken any action despite repeated requests. Farah questioned how head teachers could run schools with eight streams while…

TSC Internship Policy is Illegal, Court Rules The court’s ruling adds to the number of issues plaguing the internship program, including strong opposition to its extension. The internship program was originally scheduled to last one year before the interns were hired on a permanent and pensionable basis. However, President William Ruto announced in December that the teachers would have to serve an extra year before they could be considered for permanent and pensionable employment. The court heard that TSC had given the interns contracts to teach two subjects. However, in class, they covered everything, including science and math. At the…

TSC Intern Teachers Demands Full Compensation Following Court Ruling The approximately 60,000 teachers hired as interns by the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) may now demand their employers pay them their full compensation for the duration of their service. Intern teachers on the TSC payroll said on Wednesday that they will go to court to get the employer to pay them arrears for the time they have worked. In a news conference in Nairobi, the intern teachers, led by spokesperson Boniface Omari, chastised the commission for neglecting to pay them for the 15 months they had worked. Omari stated that they…

KNUT Praises Court Ruling Against TSC’s Illegal Hiring Practices The Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) praised the court ruling as a big victory for intern teachers. KNUT Secretary-General Collins Oyuu highlighted concerns about the internship program itself, saying it is unfair to treat fully qualified teachers as trainees. “The issue of interns has been a thorn in the flesh much as it was a stop-gap measure, which we support, it is prudent that these teachers become permanent and pensionable especially those who have proceeded for a whole year on internship,” he said. He has urged TSC to lobby Parliament…

Do Not Appeal Court Ruling On Intern Teachers, KUPET Tells TSC The union has encouraged the Teachers Service Commission not to appeal the Employment and Labour Relations Court’s (ELCR) decision but rather to convert the interns’ contract to permanent and pensionable conditions. Justice Byrum Ongaya’s court ruling this week found that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) exceeded its legal obligations by hiring interns as teachers, dealing a severe blow to the educational sector, which is about to implement the JSS phase in just two weeks. The Employment and Labour Relations Court’s (ELRC) landmark verdict on interns has cast doubt on…

Court Strikes Down TSC Hiring Policy on Intern Teachers On Wednesday, Justice Bryrum Ongaya declared that the Teachers Service commission (TSC) had violated the intern teachers’ right to fair labor practices because they are qualified and hold teaching licenses. Justice Ongaya ruled that because the commission’s mandate restricts employment to only competent and registered individuals, it cannot hire, engage, or employ student-teachers or interns. “The respondents have not exhibited statutory regulatory or policy arrangements that would entitle the first respondent (TSC) to employ interns. Ideally, the first respondent should employ registered teachers on terms that are not discriminatory and to…

CEMASTEA Trains 9,595 Teachers on Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) Approximately 9,595 teachers are undergoing a training course on the expectations of the ongoing school curriculum reforms, which highlight the acquisition of abilities necessary for success in the twenty-first-century workplace. Ms. Beatrice Macharia, Coordinator of Special Programmes and Student Learning at the Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Education in Africa (CEMASTEA), which is facilitating the courses, stated that the program, which is being held during the April holidays, is aimed at junior secondary school teachers from 47 countries who are assigned to teach pre-technical studies, agriculture, and nutrition. The trainings are…

Junior Secondary School (JSS) In Crisis Following Court Ruling The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) is worried about the future of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) because the court banned internships for teachers. This comes after the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) ruled that the commission violated teachers’ right to fair labor practice by offering them internship positions while they were qualified and held teaching licenses. However, the ruling puts the survival of Junior Secondary Schools in jeopardy just two weeks before schools resume for the second term. The teachers have been the driving force behind the…

TVET Leaders Converge For 6th PASET and RSiF Conference Kenya will host global experts in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) during the 6th Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (PASET) Forum and RSiF Annual Conference, which will take place in Nairobi from Tuesday, April 23rd to 25th.  Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu extended an invitation and welcomed the expected delegation to the conference, stating that the conference’s topic is harnessing TVET in the knowledge and skills ecosystem for Africa’s industrialization. He highlighted that the conference will provide an opportunity to engage and interact with PASET Member…

CEMASTEA to Train 9,639 JSS Teachers on Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) The Centre for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) intends to train 9,639 junior school (JSS) teachers across the country to provide them with practical skills and knowledge for effectively implementing STEM education under the Competency Curriculum (CBC). Pre-technical studies, agriculture, and nutrition instructors who wish to enhance their teaching and learning skills using learner-centered methodologies are the target audience for the program, “Enhancing Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) for Effective Implementation of the CBC in JSS.” Patrick Kogolla, Deputy Director of Training at CEMASTEA, stated that…