Education
Lugari Junior Secondary School teachers have told off heads of institutions threatening them over their ongoing countrywide strike, in demand of permanent and pensionable employment terms.
The teachers who held peaceful protests in Lumakanda town before presenting their grievances to the sub county Teachers Service Commission office Friday, said some heads have resorted to intimidation, following their pursuit of their rights.
Addressing the press outside the TSC office in Lumakanda, the JSS teachers’ representatives, warned a section of the heads that have been moving around up to their homesteads, to find out if they have reported to work, of unspecified consequences.
A representative Job Wasike told the heads of institutions to stop their futile machinations, reminding them that they have no right to go to their homes looking for them.
“We are sending a warning to those involved. Let them stop intimidating and following us. We are only fighting for our rights. That is what we want. There is nothing more than confirmation and compensation,” he stated.
Lugari KNUT Executive Secretary Nashon Wambulwa (L) speaks outside Lugari Sub County Teachers Service Commission office in Lumakanda.
Another representative Rodgers Wafula challenged TSC to be honest enough and honour the court declaration that rendered its internship recruitment unlawful.
He said: “We are protesting because we have been aggrieved. Amongst us we have teachers who graduated in 2014 and 2015 yet they are still serving as interns, yet we have those who graduated in 2023 and they have been absorbed on permanent and pensionable terms.
“Why is it that when there is P&P employment for the others, they leave us out?” he posed.
Wafula wondered why the ministry doesn’t want to change their employment terms yet a number of leaders have been witnessed dishing out employment letters in functions. He said: “Our question is, has the TSC changed its mandate and handed it over to parliament? We have witnessed members of parliament handing over employment letters left right and center to the people who are relatives or their friends.
We once saw a CS asking for unemployed teachers and dishing out letters at a function. Was that an interview? Is that the order TSC should follow?” Wafula reiterated that internship is illegal and TSC should do due diligence and confirm all interns whether in primary, JSS, or senior secondary school.
Lugari KNUT Executive Secretary Nashon Wambulwa who accompanied the protesting teachers to the TSC office said the union fully backs the JSS teachers. He said the court had declared the teacher internship program illegal hence the government should do away with it.
Wambulwa said: “Internship should end with immediate effect. It is an illegality and as teachers we are joining the youth who will take over from us when we retire. In the TSC code of regulation we do not have something like an internship, so we are wondering why TSC is hiring teachers as interns in Kenya in the 21st century.
We are asking TSC and the government of Kenya to do away with internship and confirm the current interns into permanent and pensionable terms.” Lugari KUPPET representative Chris Muyeka reiterated his sentiments noting that the term intern has never existed in the teaching fraternity.
He said the JSS teachers are fully baked graduates with TSC numbers hence the government should move with speed and permanently absorb them as earlier promised.
“The TSC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Nancy Macharia had initially promised to change the employment terms of the interns after a year. That year elapsed and last month the court ruled in their favour,” he said, calling for immediate confirmation and compensation of the teachers.
He said the government needs to act with speed to save the JSS children who are currently not learning.