26,000 Intern Teachers To be Employed On Permanent and Pensionable Terms

TSC To Employ 26,000 Interns On Permanent Terms

Intern teachers in primary and Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in Kenya can look forward to significant improvements in their employment terms. Starting January 2025, 26,000 intern teachers will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms, at a cost of KSh 8.3 billion.

This positive development comes as part of the National Treasury’s allocation of KSh 364.910 billion for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) for the Financial Year 2024/2025.

The 2024 Budget Policy Statement approved an allocation of KSh 369.9 billion for the TSC, while the draft budget estimates for 2024/25 show a slightly reduced allocation of KSh 364.910 billion. This reflects a reduction of KSh 5.033 billion in recurrent expenditure and KSh 33 million in development expenditure.

This announcement is timely, as it comes amid ongoing protests by JSS intern teachers who have refused to resume classes for the second term. These teachers are demanding that the TSC adhere to a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC), which found that their labor rights were violated by being hired as interns rather than on permanent and 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.

Furthermore, the TSC has earmarked KSh 1 billion for teacher promotions. This is in line with previous expenditures, where the TSC promoted 36,505 teachers to higher grades under the Career Progression Guidelines (CPG). Many teachers have been elevated to new ranks after years of stagnation in the same job group.

These measures are expected to not only improve the working conditions of intern teachers but also enhance the overall quality of education by addressing teacher shortages and ensuring career progression opportunities for educators.

TSC To Employ 26,000 Interns On Permanent Terms