Good News to 26,000 Intern Teachers As TSC is Set Give Them Permanent Jobs

Update: TSC Permanent Jobs For 26,000 Intern Teachers

Starting in July, at least 20,000 intern teachers will be given permanent positions.

During a meeting on Tuesday at State House, the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group learned that funds are available to hire these teachers next month.

These teachers will play a key role in teaching at junior secondary schools as the first group of students enters Grade 9 in January next year.

Additionally, the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group was informed that Sh18 billion has been allocated to employ all junior secondary school teachers currently on internships.

This development follows a prolonged dispute between the teachers and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) regarding their employment status, which included a strike, layoffs, and a pending court case.

When appearing before Parliament in May, TSC stated it needed Sh30 billion to convert all intern contracts to permanent, pensionable positions. Due to budget constraints, TSC planned to hire the teachers in two phases: the first phase would make 26,000 teachers permanent, while the second phase would address the remaining 20,000.

For the first phase, TSC estimated that Sh6.6 billion would be necessary to transition 26,000 intern positions to permanent employment.

Thus, the Sh18 billion allocation will cover the costs of hiring the first group of 26,000 interns on a permanent and pensionable basis.

However, the future of the remaining 20,000 interns remains uncertain as there are no funds allocated for them in the 2024/2025 budget.

The practice of employing teachers on an internship basis has been contentious, leading to disputes, a strike, layoffs, and a pending court case between the interns and TSC. Interns argue they face unfair labor practices, performing the same duties as permanent staff but receiving much lower pay.

In April, the Employment and Labour Relations Court halted the hiring of tutors on an intern basis, agreeing with the interns that the practice was unfair.

However, TSC contested Justice Bryum Ongaya’s decision at the Court of Appeal and recently secured a reprieve.

The appellate court’s three judges ruled that the hiring of teachers in intern positions should be halted until an appeal is heard and resolved.

As a result, TSC has the upper hand, and the aggrieved teachers must continue working as interns until the case filed by the commission, led by Dr. Nancy Macharia, is concluded.

TSC claimed that Justice Ongaya’s orders disrupted its operations, as the necessary funds for hiring intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms were not budgeted for.

Update: TSC Permanent Jobs For 26,000 Intern Teachers