JSS Intern Teachers Call Off Strike; Classes Resuming on Monday.
The work boycott by teachers at junior secondary schools, who have been on strike since April 17, has been put on hold until July 5.
A walkout was put on hold, according to the 46,000 graduates who were hired as intern teachers in 2019 in order to allow the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) more time to hire them on a permanent and pensionable basis.
In addition, they are awaiting the approval of the budget by the National Assembly on Thursday, June 13. Omari Omari, their national spokeswoman, has pleaded with the TSC to publish the circular confirming their confirmation as soon as the budget is approved.
“We decided to halt our protests and wait for Parliament to approve the budget on Thursday after consulting with JSS county leaders. We ought to have heard from you by then regarding the 46,000 instructors’ confirmation status,” Mr. Omari stated. The JSS instructors were asked to resume teaching as of tomorrow in a statement sent to newsrooms.
“Please take notice that this implies the strike, which started on April 17, has been delayed until July 5 rather than called off. We ought to have heard from you by then regarding the 46,000 instructors’ confirmation status,” Mr. Omari stated.
According to him, they have met with the National Assembly Committees on Labor and Education on several occasions and made their demands known. The confirmation of each of the 46,000 interns is the first item on the agenda.
“After granting our requests, they brought them before the Committee on Budget and Appropriations. We are currently waiting for the item to be passed in Parliament once it was brought up,” he stated.
According to Mr. Omari, the MPs asked them to hold off on protesting until after the budget was approved. The committee members also asked the striking intern instructors to give the TSC some time so they could get funding and get ready to hire new members.
“We have chosen to take their word and suspend our demonstrations in light of the seriousness with which they (the MPs) have, thus far, handled our issues and the great love and care we have for the children of the poor Kenyan parents,” Mr. Omari stated.
He did, however, warn the lawmakers that the court’s decision that internships are prohibited is still in effect.
We therefore want to let them know that, starting on Monday, we will be returning to the classrooms as volunteers rather than interns, after conferring with our legal team. We are taking this action because it appears that we are the only educators who are concerned about Mama Mboga’s children,” Mr. Omari stated.
He stated that although they will offer their services as teachers for the next four weeks, they will go back to the streets on July 5 if the commission has not notified them of their confirmation by then.
“Being a teacher is an honorable job, and we frequently, even in this day and age, have to make sacrifices for the future of our country. However, we have demonstrated to the TSC and the government that they cannot use our compassionate nature as a pretext to subjugate or exploit us,” Mr. Omari stated. According to him, an internship should not be used as a means of enslaving a certified, licensed, and registered teacher.
All of the JSS instructors were reassured by Mr. Omari that they had not resigned but had instead taken a break to allow for the implementation of the required procedures.
JSS Intern Teachers Call Off Strike; Classes Resuming on Monday.
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