The National Assembly has finally taken a step to intervene in the ongoing standoff between JSS teachers and the Teachers’ Service Commission. JSS intern teachers have been protesting across the country demanding for better employment terms that include being employed on permanent and pensionable commonly referred to as P&P. On the other hand, TSC has maintained that they do not have enough budget to absorb the JSS on the said terms at least until after two years when their internship contracts are expected to end.
According to the latest details we have after the intervention by the National Assembly, these teachers are expected to be employed on Permanent and Pensionable (P&P) terms from July 1st onwards. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had previously communicated that confirmation for the 26,000 teachers would occur in January of next year (2025).
However, as it turns out, on Monday, May 27th, Julius Melly, who heads the Education Committee, informed the Budget and Appropriations Committee that KSh8.3 billion had been allocated for their employment.
Melly told the budget committee that the Teachers Service Commission needed to streamline the recruitment process to ensure the allocated funds are fully utilized at the beginning of the new financial year. According to Melly, the commission should convert the 26,000 intern teachers to P&P terms between July 2024 and January 2025, as previously mentioned.
JSS interns have been holding nationwide protests demanding P&P terms.
According to some sources, however, a few interns have received show-cause letters for job absenteeism. The TSC claims that a previous court order favoring JSS interns was suspended until August 1st, 2024. In a recent ruling issued on April 17th, Justice Bryrum Ongaya of the Employment and Labor Relations Court determined that the teachers’ employer had violated the interns’ right to fair labor practices, as they possess the necessary qualifications and teaching licenses.
Ideally, the initial employer would hire certified educators in a non-discriminatory manner to meet the optimal staffing requirements within government schools, the judgment stated. The Forum for Good Governance and Human Rights has filed a lawsuit challenging the legitimacy of the Teacher Internship Program. The internship program began in 2019, with secondary school teachers receiving KSh20,000 and their primary school counterparts receiving KSh15,000.