Akello Misori, the Secretary General of Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), has requested the National Treasury to provide funds for teachers’ employer the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), in order to make it possible for the body to employ intern teachers who are deployed in Junior Secondary Schools (JSeS) all over the country on permanent and pensionable basis.
In a letter dated May 1, 2024, addressed to the National Treasury, Parliament, and TSC, and seen by Education News Kenya, Misori highlighted that learning in most JSS schools has been paralyzed due to ongoing demonstrations by JSS teachers.
“For the second day in a row, learning has been completely halted in all JSS classes due to the teachers’ protests,” Misori stated. “KUPPET assures its cooperation with the National Treasury and other government units to solve this problem according to the law.”
An excerpt from the letter reads: “The National Treasury should now initiate the process of allocating resources for the TSC to employ teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.”
Furthermore, the KUPPET Secretary General requested a meeting with the TSC within seven days to discuss immediate solutions and a formula for the JSS teachers’ return to work.
JSS Teachers Continue Strike
The request comes as JSS intern teachers continue to refuse returning to classrooms as schools begin their second term. Since the government announced opening of the second term for Kenyan schools which had earlier been postponed because of floods, JSS teachers across the country that icluded places like Nairobi, Kericho, and Meru counties, have taken to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the TSC’s decision not to hire them permanently.
Teachers Seek Enforcement of Court Order
One of the issues being raised by striking teachers is for TSC to comply with the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) ruling. The court determined that their employment as interns, rather than on a permanent and pensionable basis, violates their labor rights.
Current Teacher Contracts and Salaries
JSS teachers currently work under one-year contracts. Primary school teachers receive Ksh 15,000, while their JSS counterparts earn Ksh 20,000.