KUPPET Demands TSC End Contract Employment for Teachers
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has called for an immediate end to the practice of employing teachers on contract terms, deeming it an affront to the teaching profession.
Nyeri Kuppet Chair Francis Wanjohi expressed approval for the decision to transition 26,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers from contract employment to permanent and pensionable positions.
This move, according to Wanjohi, is timely and praiseworthy, addressing the grievances of the 46,000 JSS tutors who have been protesting since the beginning of the term.
“We would have celebrated much more if all 46,000 intern teachers had been employed on permanent terms. Let the Government stick to hiring teachers on a permanent basis, as has been the practice all along,” he pointed out.
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Initially, the JSS teachers were expected to be confirmed in January 2025, following an earlier communication from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
However, in a recent development, the chair of the Education Committee, Julius Melly, informed the Budget and Appropriations Committee that Sh8.3 billion had been allocated to secure permanent positions for the 26,000 intern teachers.
Wanjohi emphasized that the TSC should optimize the recruitment process to ensure the allocated resources are fully utilized at the beginning of the next financial year.
The conversion to permanent and pensionable terms is to commence from July 2024 and January 2025.
Wanjohi has urged Parliament to allocate additional funds to employ the remaining teachers promptly to avoid future crises.
He also called for an end to the practice of employing teachers on contract terms, considering it detrimental to the teaching profession and unprecedented in the country.
Previously, the interns took over JSS responsibilities after the last class eight candidates completed their national exams in November, marking the end of the 8-4-4 education system that began in 1985.
However, they boycotted classes early this term, insisting they would not return until the TSC converted their contracts to permanent positions.
Wanjohi welcomed the new development, stating that the first batch of 26,000 teachers, having completed a one-year internship, deserved permanent employment.
Prior to this announcement, many intern teachers received show-cause letters for unauthorized absences.
On April 17, Justice Bryrum Ongaya of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that the TSC violated the intern teachers’ right to fair labor practices, given their qualifications and teaching licenses.
The ruling came after the Forum for Good Governance and Human Rights challenged the TSC’s Teacher Internship Programme, highlighting that the TSC lacked statutory or policy arrangements justifying the employment of interns.
The court emphasized that TSC should employ registered teachers on non-discriminatory terms to meet public school staffing needs optimally.
The internship program, initiated in 2019, stipulated that JSS teachers receive Sh20,000 and primary teachers Sh15,000, exclusive of statutory deductions.
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In response to perceived underpayment and demands for permanent employment, numerous JSS teachers in Nyeri County boycotted work on May 13 and protested, insisting they would keep classrooms closed until the TSC offered them permanent and pensionable terms, as mandated by the courts.
Purity Wangeci, Chairperson of the Kenya Junior Secondary Teachers Association (KEJUSTA) in Nyeri, reiterated their resolve, stating members would stay away from schools until the TSC met their demands and provided the necessary employment letters.
KUPPET Demands TSC End Contract Employment for Teachers
