JSS Teachers’ Strike continues till their demands are met
JSS Teachers’ Strike continues till their demands are met
JSS Teachers’ Strike continues till their demands are met
Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers are now on strike, and according to the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), they won’t stop until their demands are fulfilled.
For the three weeks that the strike has been in place, the union has accused the government of disregarding the teachers, claiming that the students are the ones who are suffering.
In order to guarantee that their concerns are addressed, the 46,000 intern teachers are requesting sufficient budgetary allocation for the upcoming fiscal year.
According to Simon Kimani, the chairman of the Nakuru branch union, intern teachers will not go back to work until their demands are met.
He pointed out that their meager monthly salary of Sh17,000 from the government was insufficient to cover their basic expenses.
He claims that thousands of students have been allowed to suffer and that the interns would not report to work in spite of threats and intimidation from school administrators.
According to the administration, there isn’t enough money to satisfy teachers’ expectations. However, Kimani pointed out that President William Ruto had recently paid Sh200 million for the use of an opulent private plane.
Secretary General Dancun Macharia of Nakuru Kuppet remarked that before the interns return to teaching, the Teachers Service Commission should provide letters of confirmation because the court had subsequently declared the internship to be unlawful.
Macharia told the parliamentary budget committee to effect adequate allocation to cater for the demands of all the intern teachers.
George Owino, representing JSS teachers in Naivasha, says they will keep off classes until the government fulfils their demands.
Owino said the Sh17,000 they are paid was too little to meet and sustain their daily needs at a time when the cost of living has skyrocketed.
“We want TSC to come clean on the status of intern teachers by ensuring that all the 46,000 teachers are issued with employment letters on permanent and pensionable terms,” said Owino.
Issac Mungai, an intern teacher, regretted that despite TSC promising to confirm them after one year of service, it has extended the internship period to two years.
Mungai declared, “Until our demands are met, we are not returning to classrooms.”