Intern teachers,
Learning at Junior Secondary schools may be paralyzed at the beginning of second term after intern teachers vows not to report back to their work stations.
The teachers working at various schools within Murang’a County on Tuesday said they will embark on daily demonstrations from next week until their grievances are adequately addressed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).
They argued the court declared the extension of internship illegal and thus those who served for one year as interns need to be absorbed on permanent terms.
Led by their secretary Polycap Mutugi, the intern teachers accused their employer, TSC, of ignoring court order thus extending their internship beginning in January this year.
JSS intern teachers in Murang’a participate in a peaceful demonstration to demand for permanent employment
“The court ruling directed TSC that the internship of trained and registered teachers is unconstitutional and illegal. Remuneration should be equal to all the teachers under the same qualifications and job responsibilities,” observed Mutugi.
He continued: “We shall not be intimidated and this struggle to get our rights will continue. It’s unfortunate that JSS are handled by interns yet we qualify to be absorbed on a permanent basis. This is total discrimination, and we ought to be treated equally and our role in the education sector should be recognized.”
Mutugi said they will only resume their work after they get the confirmation letters further demanding that they be compensated for the period they have been underpaid.
“We are also demanding that the government hold a dialogue with all the JSS teachers in the country for better terms of engagement,” he added.
Another teacher, Brian Mobisa added: “We are gathered here because of a court order that was given terming the internship as illegal. For the longest time we have been referred to as interns whereby we are being paid peanuts, our demand to TSC is to employ us and confirm us to permanent and pensionable terms.
He noted that in January this year, they were hoodwinked by the government to go back to class, that their grievances would be addressed but this was just an empty promise.
Mobisa also observed that apart from their welfare woes, implementation of competency-based curriculum has been faced by many challenges which the government needs to iron out.
“Lack of needed equipment is affecting teaching of students of JSS. Few schools have laboratories and many times materials for the labs are also missing,” he noted.
Another JSS teacher Simon Gaturwa said TSC should agree with the teachers on when to pay them and when they will be confirmed to permanent and pensionable terms like others in the past.
“TSC should also bring to the limelight the criteria they are using to employ teachers because we have had scenarios where fresh graduates have already been employed on permanent terms whereas some of us who graduated in 2016 are still struggling as interns with meager salaries.” Gaturwa added.
Rose Wanjiku on her part said they should be issued with better medical cover like other teachers saying their current cover only caters for consultation fee. “I would also like to urge KUPPET and KNUT to please come forward and join us in demanding better employment terms,” she stated.