TSC Allocated Funds to Employ 46,000 JSS Intern Teachers Under Irreducible Minimums.
The budget committee has emphasized essential elements in the budget, including the permanent hiring of all Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers.
According to National Assembly Budget and Appropriation Committee Chairperson Ndindi Nyoro, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has been allocated Ksh.18 billion to ensure these intern teachers are hired on permanent and pensionable terms.
Nyoro noted that TSC should not delay until January to implement this decision.
“We have given the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Ksh.18 billion to ensure all those intern teachers are hired on permanent and pensionable terms and TSC must not wait until January,” Nyoro added.
The National Assembly set Sh8.3 billion to the TSC to convert 26,000 teachers hired last year to permanent terms by July this year, leaving out 20,000 others.
These funds were allocated based on recommendations from the Committee on Education. Initially, the TSC planned to make these conversions in January 2025.
Teacher Strikes and Legal Battles
The teachers under the internship program have been on strike following a ruling by Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) judge Byram Ongaya, which stated that TSC could only employ teachers on permanent terms and not as interns.
The 46,000 interns are demanding the implementation of this ruling.
Primary school teachers under this program earn a stipend of Sh15,000, while those in junior and secondary schools receive Sh20,000, subject to statutory deductions. They also do not benefit from the teachers’ health insurance cover.
The situation worsened when the Court of Appeal issued stay orders against the ELRC judgment, pending the hearing and determination of an appeal by the commission. This legal battle has intensified the teachers’ frustrations.
Show Cause Letters and Strikes
The Teachers Updates has found that TSC issued ‘show cause’ letters to 10,348 teachers, requiring them to respond and return to work within 14 days.
Out of these, 9,606 teachers complied, but 742 had their contracts terminated. Overall, 46,000 teachers are currently on contract.
Over the weekend, the leadership of a lobby coordinating the strike announced its end. However, on Monday, the contracts of the teachers deployed to junior schools were terminated by the commission, citing professional misconduct.
Union’s Response
During a press conference at the union headquarters in Nairobi, Mr. Nthurima accused TSC of violating an agreement with the union.
He claimed the union had an understanding with the commission that ‘show cause’ letters would be withdrawn and no disciplinary action would be taken against teachers who resumed work.
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He argued that the dismissals violated natural justice as no disciplinary hearings were held for the affected teachers.
Furthermore, these dismissals contradicted the return-to-work formula negotiated by the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) with TSC. According to this formula, teachers who resumed work on June 3, 2024, would not face any punishment.
TSC Allocated Funds to Employ 46,000 JSS Intern Teachers Under Irreducible Minimums.
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