Good news for aspiring teachers: 20,000 vacancies are available.
In May 2024, intern teachers in Naivasha stage a protest against their employment terms.
Starting in July, at least 20,000 intern teachers will now be hired on a permanent basis.
At a Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday at State House, the ruling coalition announced that funding had been allocated to accommodate the teachers starting next month.
When the pioneer class moves into Grade 9 in January of the following year, the teachers will play a crucial role in carrying out instruction in junior secondary schools.
Additionally, the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group was notified that Sh18 billion had been allocated for the internship employment of all junior secondary teachers.
This comes after a dispute about the instructors’ employment status erupted between the instructors Service Commission, their employer, and the teachers. After months of a stalemate, a walkout, layoffs, and even an ongoing legal dispute between the interns and the employer, funds are now being allocated for the intern teachers’ employment.
The Teachers Service Commission stated in a May appearance before Parliament that it will take Sh30 billion to convert all intern contracts to permanent, pensionable terms.
TSC attempted to hire the teachers in two phases, with the first batch consisting of 26,000 teachers and the second recruiting group consisting of the remaining 20,000 teachers, due to budgetary constraints.
The instructors Service Commission (TSC) estimated that it would cost Sh6.6 billion to convert intern positions to permanent employment for the first cohort of 26,000 instructors.
This indicates that the initial cohort of 26,000 interns can be successfully hired on a permanent and pensionable basis for Sh18 billion.
The future of an additional 20,000 interns will therefore continue to be questionable because money is not allocated in the 2024–2025 budget.
Concerns over hiring teachers on an internship basis have resulted in a walkout, a standoff, layoffs, and even a legal lawsuit that is still pending between TSC and the interns.
The interns contend that because they perform the same tasks as their colleagues on a permanent and pensionable basis but receive much less compensation, they are victims of unfair labor practices.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court agreed with the interns that hiring tutors on an intern basis was an unfair labor practice, and in April, it stopped tutors’ employment.
However, the employer of the teachers challenged Justice Bryum Ongaya’s ruling at the Court of Appeal and recently won a reprieve.
The three judges on the panel ordered a halt to the employment of instructors for internships until the hearing and resolution of an appeal.
Good news for aspiring teachers: 20,000 vacancies are available.
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