Intern Teachers: 20000 Permanent Jobs Available Starting July.
Great news for intern teachers. Beginning in July, 20,000 intern teachers will transition to permanent roles. On Tuesday, during a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition at State House, it was announced that funds have been allocated to absorb these teachers next month.
These teachers will play a crucial role in junior secondary schools as the pioneer class moves to Grade 9 in January next year. Additionally, the Kenya Kwanza parliamentary group revealed an allocation of Sh18 billion to employ all junior secondary teachers currently on internship. This decision follows a prolonged standoff between the teachers and their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), over their employment status. The allocation marks a significant milestone after months of strikes, layoffs, and a pending court case.
Budget Allocation and Hiring Plans
In May, the TSC informed Parliament that converting all intern contracts to permanent and pensionable terms required Sh30 billion. Due to budget constraints, TSC proposed hiring teachers in two batches. The first batch includes 26,000 teachers, and the second absorbs the remaining 20,000.
To convert the first batch of 26,000 intern positions to permanent roles, the TSC projected a requirement of Sh6.6 billion. The newly allocated Sh18 billion will be sufficient to successfully hire this first cohort of 26,000 interns into permanent and pensionable terms. However, the fate of the remaining 20,000 interns remains uncertain, as the 2024/2025 budget does not allocate funds for their permanent positions.
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Ongoing Concerns and Legal Battles
The employment of teachers on an internship basis has sparked considerable concern, leading to a standoff, a strike, layoffs, and a pending court case. Intern teachers argue that they face unfair labor practices since they perform the same duties as their permanent counterparts but receive significantly lower pay.
In April, the Employment and Labour Relations Court suspended the employment of tutors on an intern basis, agreeing with the interns that it constituted unfair labor practices. However, the TSC contested Justice Bryum Ongaya’s decision at the Court of Appeal and recently received a reprieve. The court’s three judges ruled that the hiring of teachers in internship positions should be paused until the appeal is heard and determined.
This development gives the TSC the advantage, requiring the aggrieved teachers to continue working as interns until the court resolves the case filed by the Dr. Nancy Macharia-led commission. In its application, TSC argued that Justice Ongaya’s orders disrupted its operations, as the budget did not include the funds needed to hire intern teachers on permanent terms.
Intern Teachers: 20000 Permanent Jobs Available Starting July.
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