Notice of strike issued by intern teachers in Kericho.
The government has been served with a seven-day notice of strike by Kericho County intern teachers.
Before classes resume for the second semester, the 600 intern teachers who were assigned to Junior Secondary School (JSS) have sought to be hired on a permanent and pensionable basis.
Mary Rotich, the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education (Kuppet) Kericho branch executive, spoke following a demonstration in the town and urged the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to abide by the Employment and Labour Relationships Court’s decision.
The court determined that, even though the JSS teachers were qualified and held teaching licenses, TSC had breached their right to fair labor practices by granting them internship employment.
“The commission is required to pay the junior secondary school intern teachers and abide by the court’s decision regarding Petition No. 223. The Teachers Service Commission’s sole remaining option is to follow the court’s directions since the court made the correct decision, according to Rotich.
The court determined that, even though the JSS teachers were qualified and held teaching licenses, TSC had breached their right to fair labor practices by granting them internship employment.
“The commission is required to pay the junior secondary school intern teachers and abide by the court’s decision regarding Petition No. 223. The Teachers Service Commission’s sole remaining option is to follow the court’s directions since the court made the correct decision, according to Rotich.
She emphasized the financial hardship that trainee teachers—who receive a salary of Sh17,000—face.
“There is not much money. As a result of their difficulties paying landlords and other suppliers of goods and services, the majority of junior secondary school teachers are left in debt, according to her.
Concurrently, the executive of the Kericho Kuppet branch petitioned the government to provide JSS with adequate funding.
“Enough infrastructure must be provided by the Ministry of Education to support Junior Secondary Schools on their grounds. A staff area with desks and seats is a must, along with other educational supplies. They’re over improvising,” Rotich remarked.
TSC has been accused of corruption in teacher recruitment, according to Kipkelion constituency intern teacher Geoffrey Kiprono.
He claimed, “Teachers who graduated as late as 2016 are not being hired through the backdoor on permanent and pensionable terms; instead, teachers who graduated recently are.”
When schools reopen, Winnie Cheruiyot, an intern teacher in the Bureti constituency, announced that they would boycott instruction if the government did not resolve their complaints.
She declared, “If the government does not want learning activities in Junior Secondary Schools to be interrupted, it must confirm us on permanent and pensionable terms.”
Notice of strike issued by intern teachers in Kericho.
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