In Summary:
- National Assembly Finance Committee confirms Sh18 billion provision for permanent employment of 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers.
- Molo MP Kuria Kimani revealed the news in a meeting held at State House in the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentary Group.
- The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to hire another 20,000 interns in January.
Key Highlights of the Speech
1. Government Assurance and Payment:
All 46,000 Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms. This was announced by the Kenya Kwanza government, which has secured Sh18 billion for this initiative. The assurance was given during a Parliamentary Group (PG) meeting on Tuesday.
2. Statement by Kimani Kuria:
Chair of the National Assembly Finance Committee Kimani Kuria confirmed the same and said that the government had already released sufficient disbursement to ensure that all the intern JSS teachers are employed. “The PG was also informed that adequate funds — KSh18 billion — have been availed for the employment of all 46,000 Junior Secondary teachers who are on internship,” he said.
Details of the Parliamentary Group Meeting
3. Overview of the Meeting
The declaration was made during the parliamentary meeting on June 18, 2024 which was held at the State House. Molo MP Kuria Kimani who is the current chair of the National Assembly Finance Committee also addressed the press in attendance. He further verified that indeed the government is committed to seeing to it that intern teachers are employed on a permanent basis.
Plans by TSC and the Remaining Hiring Process
4. Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Initiatives:
The Teachers Service Commission will recruit an additional 20,000 teachers in the month of September to help mitigate the current teacher shortage. “The funds have also been provided to hire 20,000 interns next month. The policy is now to transition teachers from internship to permanent and pensionable terms,” Kimani added.
Budget Proposals and Adjustments
5. Treasury Proposals:
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung’u had sought Sh13.4 billion be allocated in next year’s budget to recruit Junior Secondary teachers on a permanent basis, however, the TSC had projected that Sh30 billion would be required to recruit all 46,000 interns on permanent terms by July 1, 2024.
Plans for Subsequent Recruitment
6. Subsequent Recruitment Requirements
The Teachers Service Commission is expected to recruit 26,000 intern teachers in January 2025 with the move among other new strategies that the Commission is taking to curb the crisis, that has seen thousands of teachers stagnate in internship before transiting to the rest of the teaching service with better terms.
Context and Challenges
7. During a Parliamentary Group Meeting
The meeting of the PG was convened a few hours before the 2024 Finance Bill was tabled in Parliament. The session was held in view of the ‘Occupy Parliament’ protests, which are expected to mount pressure on the National Assembly to shoot down the bill.
Conclusion
The new initiative of funding and employment is a move in the right direction toward addressing the teacher shortage and providing job security to thousands of teachers in Kenya. The commitment to permanent and pensionable terms, of course, shall commit the government of Kenya to enhancing the education sector.