KUPPET Meru Junior School Secretary, Kinthiji Lewis Abass, has raised fresh legal concerns over the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) internship programme, questioning its validity in light of recent court rulings.
Speaking during a media interview, Abass argued that teachers are bound by the Code of Conduct and Ethics for Teachers, which requires them to perform duties strictly in accordance with the law. However, he noted that legal interpretations from the Employment and Labour Relations Court and the Court of Appeal have declared the internship programme unlawful.
“According to the Code of Conduct and Ethics for Teachers, a teacher is supposed to carry out duties in accordance with the law. However, what does the law, as interpreted by the Employment and Labour Relations Court and the Court of Appeal, say regarding internships? It is very categorical that an internship is illegal,” Abass stated.
He questioned the contradiction facing intern teachers, asking how they are expected to comply with professional legal obligations while operating under a programme that has been declared illegal by the courts.
“This begs the question: how are interns supposed to engage in their duties in accordance with the law, when the law says their engagement is against the law?” he posed.
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His remarks come amid ongoing debate following a Court of Appeal ruling which declared the TSC teacher internship programme unconstitutional, illegal, and discriminatory, a decision that has sparked renewed calls for the absorption of over 44,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms.
The ruling has intensified pressure on the government and the TSC to resolve the legal and employment status of junior school intern teachers across the country.
By Kithinji Njeru
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