JSS
Over 200 intern teachers posted in Junior Secondary School Teachers (JSS) in Kericho County are threatening to disrupt learning unless they are confirmed on permanent and pensionable employment terms.
Addressing the press after staging a peaceful demonstration in Kericho town, Mary Rotich, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education (KUPPET) Kericho Executive, called on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to confirm the JSS interns following a peaceful demonstration in Kericho town.
“Since 2023, we anticipated confirmation of JSS teachers within a year, but they are currently under internship. The court is very clear and this internship is an illegality. We have downed our tools and until our demands are met we are not going back to school,” said Rotich.
Nevertheless, the court had ruled that JSS teachers ought to be confirmed and compensated. A court ruling on 17 April 2024 found that TSC violated intern teachers’ right to fair labor practice, stating they should be employed to meet optimal staffing needs in public schools.
She noted that the Sh17,000 pay was too little to cater for their needs due to the high cost of living. “The teachers, who have been taken to school by their parents, face challenges in travel, food, and family support due to their limited income. They are expected to receive better pay,” said Rotich.
Meanwhile, in the same breath Kericho KUPPET branch executive Jonah Kibet Korir petitioned the government to allocate adequate resources to JSS. Thus, “The Ministry of Education must provide adequate infrastructure to support junior Secondary Schools. They ought to provide enough teaching materials and resources like laboratories and enough desks and chairs in staff rooms.” Noted Korir.
For Example, Geoffrey Kiprono, an intern teacher from Kipkelion constituency accused TSC of alleged corruption in teacher recruitment. “How can TSC employ a teacher who graduated in 2023 on permanent and pensionable terms leaving teachers who graduated as far back as 2018, 2017 and even 2016?,” posed Kiprono.
He also questioned the distribution of TSC letters by Members of Parliament (MP) in public instead of the independent commission tasked to oversee teachers’ affairs in the country. Whereas the intern teacher called on the government to urgently address their concerns to prevent the potential collapse of the education system.