26000 Intern Teachers To Be Employed On PnP Terms
26000 Intern Teachers To Be Employed On PnP Terms
The job conditions of Kenyan intern teachers in primary and junior secondary schools (JSS) would significantly improve. At an estimated cost of KSh 8.3 billion, 26,000 intern instructors would be hired on a permanent and pensionable basis beginning in January 2025.
This encouraging growth is a result of KSh 364.910 billion that the National Treasury has set up for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in the upcoming Financial Year 2024–2025.
While the draft budget estimates for 2024/25 suggest a slightly decreased allocation of KSh 364.910 billion, the 2024 Budget Policy Statement approved an allocation of KSh 369.9 billion for the TSC. This is a decrease of KSh 33 million in development spending and KSh 5.033 billion in recurrent spending.
Given the current protests of JSS intern instructors who have refused to return to the classroom for the second term, this announcement is highly appropriate. These educators are requesting that the TSC follow an Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) decision that stated their right to a fair trial was infringed upon by their hiring as interns rather than on permanent, pensionable terms.
Currently, JSS teachers are on one-year contracts, with primary school interns earning KSh 15,000 and JSS interns earning KSh 20,000. To address the teacher shortage in primary and JSS schools, the TSC plans to use KSh 4.68 billion to recruit an additional 20,000 intern teachers.
Additionally, KSh 1 billion has been set aside by the TSC for teacher advancements. This is consistent with prior spending, when 36,505 instructors were promoted by the TSC to higher grades in accordance with the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). After spending years in the same job group, a large number of teachers have been promoted to new positions.
By tackling the teacher shortage and providing possibilities for professional advancement, these policies are anticipated to improve not only the working circumstances of intern teachers but also the quality of education overall.
