MPs to meet TSC over hiring of 46,000 JSS intern teachers

MPs to meet TSC over hiring of 46,000 JSS intern teachers

The National Assembly Education Committee is set to meet with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) tomorrow to discuss the employment of 46,000 Junior Secondary School interns. TSC will also provide an update on the promotion status of teachers in their 40s and 50s.

This meeting follows a recent Court of Appeal ruling that halted plans to transition 46,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable positions. The ruling, delivered by Justices Asike Makhandia, Sankale Ole Kantai, and Ngenye Macharia, suspended previous orders from the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) which required TSC to make these conversions.

The interns must continue in their current roles until the court case, led by Nancy Macharia of the TSC, is resolved. TSC argued that the ELRC’s orders disrupted its plans as the necessary funds for permanent hires were not budgeted. TSC lawyer Allan Sitima emphasized that the constitutional rights of public school students could be compromised due to the commission’s lack of financial resources to employ the interns on permanent terms.

Currently, TSC is facing a substantial financial shortfall of Sh3.2 billion in its bid to transition the 46,000 interns. Although the government has allocated Sh13.4 billion for this purpose, TSC had originally estimated a need for Sh16.6 billion, resulting in a significant funding gap. This allocation was the result of months of disputes, including a strike, layoffs, and an ongoing court case.

In the 2024-25 budget proposal presented to Parliament, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u suggested allocating Sh13.4 billion to address this issue. However, this amount falls short of fully covering the TSC’s financial requirements.

MPs to meet TSC over hiring of 46,000 JSS intern teachers