TSC Defends Employment Merit, Amid JSS Intern Teachers’ Strike and Corruption Claims
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has strongly defended itself against claims made by Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers during their nationwide strike on Monday, asserting that corruption and political influence are prevalent in the employment process.
Addressing the JSS teachers at TSC offices in Chuka town. on Tuesday, Tharaka Nithi County TSC Director Mohamed Gabow said the Commission maintained a well-structured and intact merit list for employment, ensuring that employment was strictly in line with the law.
The Commission, according to Gabow, maintains a clear merit list and fills vacancies by selecting the next person on the list as a replacement.
Gabow assured the teachers, who had marched to his office to honor the nationwide JSS teachers’ strike, that he had received their memorandum and would forward it through the regional office to TSC headquarters.
He assured the teachers that the law and established procedures would follow up on the matter and channel their demands to the TSC Headquarters.
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Return-to-work formula
Edwin Osoro, the JSS National Chairperson, who joined the protests in Tharaka Nithi, noted that the teachers were ready to negotiate a return-to-work formula that would see over 46,000 teachers employed on permanent terms and compensated for their time working as interns.
The teachers claimed that Members of Parliament and Ministry heads had interfered with TSC’s mandate by distributing employment letters at public functions.
A JSS teacher from Muthambi Sub-county, Linda Nkatha, questioned why TSC claimed there was no money to absorb interns if the government had funds to pay those employed through the back door.
The teachers noted that the Sh17,000 salary award was insufficient given the high cost of living in the country, and they demanded compensation for the period they worked as interns.
In Our Other News: TSC Addresses Teacher Intern Protests, Issues Directive
The JSS teachers, who have been interns for two years, declared that their strike would persist until their confirmation into permanent and pensionable terms.
Their leadership instructed the teachers not to report to schools as interns, as the courts had deemed the program unlawful.
Justice Bryrum Ongaya of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled on April 17, 2024, that TSC had violated the intern teachers’ right to fair labor practices and that their employment should be based on the best staffing needs in public schools.
