The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has directed all its regional directors to begin daily monitoring and reporting of attendance for junior school intern teachers across the country.
In an internal memo dated April 27, 2026 signed by TSC Director of Staffing Antonina Lentoijoni, the commission said the move is aimed at improving decision-making and ensuring effective management of the thousands of interns currently serving in junior secondary schools.
According to the directive, regional offices are required to coordinate with county directors to verify and consolidate attendance data on a daily basis before submitting reports to TSC headquarters.
The exercise took effect immediately and will continue until further notice.
The commission has also introduced a structured reporting format, requiring two key datasets: a running list of intern teachers who fail to report on duty each day, and a daily summary showing the number of teachers present and absent in each county.
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TSC emphasized that any absence must be clearly explained, with reasons such as sick leave, maternity leave, official assignments or unauthorized absence properly documented. Regional offices have been instructed to update the data daily to reflect any changes.
The directive comes at a time when concerns have been raised over the welfare and status of junior school intern teachers, many of whom have been pushing for permanent employment and better working conditions.
Recent reports indicate that more than 44,000 intern teachers nationwide are seeking clarity on their future, amid ongoing debates over their absorption into permanent terms.
The commission further stressed that accuracy; completeness and timeliness of the reports are critical, warning that the data will be used to guide key staffing and policy decisions.
Education stakeholders say the new monitoring system could tighten accountability in schools but may also expose underlying challenges facing intern teachers, including absenteeism linked to low morale and delayed confirmations.
By Kithinji Njeru
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