JSS Intern Teachers Resume Work After Calling Off Strike
JSS Intern Teachers Resume Work After Calling Off Strike
Junior school intern teachers, who had pledged to stop teaching in January, have canceled their nationwide walkout; many have already reported to work.
Judge Byram Ongaya’s court judgment, which prevented the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from canceling the contracts of 21,500 junior school intern teachers, is the basis for this decision.
The contracts were initially scheduled to expire on December 31, 2023, but the judge ordered that they not be terminated until after a lawsuit that was brought before him was heard and decided.
The intern teachers had demanded the conversion to permanent and pensionable terms after serving for a year, citing an alleged violation of the internship agreement by TSC. The Commission, however, asserted financial constraints, proposing an additional year of service before confirmation.
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), which was backing the teachers, continued their protests in December despite the TSC’s warning that there would be penalties for those who did not report by the deadline.
They mentioned difficult working circumstances in far-flung schools and insufficient pay, which is further reduced by deductions.
While TSC maintains that a two-year internship is now a government policy, President William Ruto recently assured intern teachers of employment once they complete the extended contract.
The intern teachers argue that the original agreement was for a one-year non-renewable contract before permanent positions.
In the meantime, TSC wants to hire at least 20,000 new teachers to fill the staffing shortfalls, acknowledging that junior secondary schools are experiencing a serious teacher shortage.
Concerns of immediate staffing issues as schools reopen are raised by the prospect of recruitment in the following fiscal year, even though the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) pioneer class begins in Grade 8.
