The 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers will face further delays in transitioning to permanent and pensionable positions. National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi announced that the process will only commence in January 2025, despite having the necessary funds.
Mbadi, during a meeting with senators from the Senate Committee on Budget and Finance, explained that the delay is due to funding constraints caused by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024. This withdrawal has led to reduced funds for several key areas, including the hiring of JSS teachers, posting of medical interns, and other national priorities such as health service delivery and stadium construction for the African Cup of Nations.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has plans to recruit 20,000 of the 46,000 intern teachers, who are currently employed on an annual contract basis. Mbadi confirmed that while funds have been allocated for this purpose, the release of these funds will be deferred to January 2025.
The delay is a setback for the intern teachers, who were initially expecting the process to begin this month. The transition was previously scheduled to start in July but was postponed due to budget cuts following the finance bill’s withdrawal. TSC chairperson Nancy Macharia had previously informed MPs that only 15 percent of the budget was accessible, exacerbating the delay.
The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) had included the hiring of these intern teachers among its demands in negotiations with TSC. This demand was part of the agreement that led to the suspension of a planned strike at the beginning of the third school term.
Other demands included the promotion of 130,000 teachers, the implementation of the second phase of the 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement, and the remittance of third-party deductions to relevant organizations.
In June, the Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers suspended their three-week strike after reaching an agreement with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The agreement included provisions for the teachers to be employed on permanent and pensionable terms and the withdrawal of all dismissal letters previously issued.
Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akelo Misori announced that TSC had met the union’s demands, including the withdrawal of the dismissal letters. As part of the return-to-work formula, KUPPET and TSC also committed to lobbying Parliament for Sh8.3 billion to ensure that all intern teachers are transitioned to permanent and pensionable positions.
The JSS teachers had insisted on permanent employment and compensation for the period they worked as interns without pay. Misori emphasized the union’s objections to the dismissals, citing violations of natural justice principles.
The National Assembly Committee on Education, chaired by Julius Melly, confirmed that Sh8.3 billion had been allocated to TSC for the permanent employment of 26,000 teachers currently on contract. Melly further urged that these teachers should be converted to permanent employment starting in July 2024, rather than the January 2025 date proposed by TSC.
