Union Backs Intern Teachers’ Strike, Urges TSC Meeting to Resolve Grievances
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) on Tuesday supported the ongoing strike of intern teachers and urged the government to allocate funds for hiring tutors.
The strike endangers the education of over 2.5 million Grade 8 and 9 students in junior secondary schools (JSS) amidst prolonged school closures caused by nationwide flooding.
Learning had been paralyzed in all JSS classes for the second consecutive day as the teachers continued their protest, noted Kuppet Secretary General Akello Misori in part of his letter.
In three letters addressed to Parliament, the National Treasury, and the Teachers Service Commission, Misori sought their intervention to resume learning and teaching.
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Misori emphasized that the commission should be enabled to address the teachers’ grievances through lawful negotiation, aiming to regularize the employment terms of 46,000 intern teachers, most of whom work in the JSS.
The union requested a sit-down meeting with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to seek an amicable solution to the standoff, stressing the urgency of the crisis.
In a separate letter to the Treasury, the union called for the allocation of funds for employing interns on permanent and pensionable terms.
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The letter, dated May 14, was addressed to the Principal Secretary of the National Treasury. On Monday, Owino Okello, the chairman of intern teachers in Nairobi, declared that they would not yield to threats regarding their decision to strike.
Okello referred to a court ruling that nullified the internship status for trained, registered, and licensed teachers, affirming that they would comply with the Labour Relations Court’s decision by staying away from schools for internships.
Union Backs Intern Teachers’ Strike, Urges TSC Meeting to Resolve Grievances
