Parliament Issues Strong Directive to TSC on JSS Teachers

Parliament Issues Strong Directive to TSC on JSS Teachers.

The Budget and Appropriations Committee on Wednesday instructed the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to hire all Junior Secondary School teachers currently working under an internship program on permanent and pensionable terms.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, the committee’s chairperson, announced that the government had allocated sufficient funds for this project in the 2024/2025 Financial Year. “I can assure this house that there are now sufficient resources to confirm the JSS interns into permanent and pensionable terms,” stated Ndindi Nyoro.

Nyoro, in his capacity as chairperson, directed the TSC to hire all 46,000 interns working under the program. He added that the TSC should hire the interns immediately after the budget is passed, rather than waiting until January 2025 as previously proposed. “From this floor of this house, I want to request the TSC, as you appropriate this money, kindly do not wait until January 2025 to confirm the interns. Please hasten their confirmation as soon as the budget is passed,” urged Ndindi Nyoro.

He emphasized that these teachers had served the nation while working on minimal wages.

The parliamentary directives follow the Junior Secondary School intern teachers’ decision to end their three-week strike after signing a return-to-work agreement on Saturday, June 1. This agreement, reached on Madaraka Day, promised that the teachers would return to work on Monday, June 3.

As part of the concessions made by TSC, all show-cause letters issued to teachers for participating in the strike were withdrawn. Additionally, TSC committed to reinstating teachers who had been deregistered and had their salaries withheld due to their involvement in the strikes.

However, in an interesting turn of events, some JSS teachers declined to honor the signed return-to-work agreement, stating they would only return after being hired on permanent and pensionable terms.

Parliament Issues Strong Directive to TSC on JSS Teachers