KUPPET and TSC agree to withdraw show-cause letters to JSS intern teachers.
The Teachers Service Commission and the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers have reached a deal to remove the show-cause letters that were issued to junior secondary school intern teachers who have been participating in nationwide protests.
The show-cause notices have been rescinded, according to Kuppet secretary general Akelo Misori, thus the JSS teachers should be back in the classroom by Monday.
“The union and the Commission have agreed that all show-cause letters and notices to exit earlier issued to the teachers will be withdrawn and normalcy returned to the JSS institutions not later than Monday, June 3 2024,” Misori stated.
The head of Kuppet claimed that the National Executive Board of the union had made it easier for JSS teachers, who have been absent from the classroom for more than two weeks, to return to work and demand permanent, pensionable employment.
According to Misori, the NEB was ordered by the NGC meeting on May 29, 2024, to exercise its power and prevent any unfavorable actions against the JSS professors.
“In particular, the NGC deplored the show-cause letters issued by the TSC to the teachers,” he stated.
According to him, the union completely backs the teachers’ demand for permanent, pensionable employment in compliance with the Employment and Labour Relations Court’s ruling (ELCR).
“The court held that the teachers’ internship employment terms were illegal and unconstitutional,” according to him.
“Accordingly, punishing the teachers for participating in legitimate labour action would be counterproductive to the stability in the sector, which is the lynchpin of the Competency-Based Curriculum.”
He praised the work done by the union’s National Executive Board to push Parliament to approve the allocation of Sh8.3 billion for the July conversion of 26,000 intern teachers to permanent positions with pensions.
“The Sh8.3 billion should cater for all intern teachers hired in January 2023,” he stated.
Misori insisted that the Sh 4.68 billion set aside for new hires be applied only to full-time, pensionable jobs, and that additional funding be given to convert the second group of teachers employed in September 2023.
According to him, the NGC reexamined the matter of JSS’s domiciling in elementary schools, which are deficient in crucial facilities like labs, libraries, and spaces for extracurricular activities that are necessary for junior secondary education in addition to the necessary number of teachers.
According to Misori, the students are losing out on essential practical knowledge in a wide range of subjects, but particularly in the sciences, since they attend primary schools.
“Once again, the NGC urged the government to domicile the JSS in the existing secondary schools,” he stated.
KUPPET and TSC agree to withdraw show-cause letters to JSS intern teachers.
More Teachers Updates
Follow Us on Telegram.