The embattled Junior Secondary School intern teachers have been smacked on the face after the Ministry of Education, (MoE) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) maintained that the internship programme is meant to provide practical teaching experience, enhance pedagogical skills and create job opportunities for unemployed youth, but does not guarantee automatic absorption into permanent and pensionable service.
TSC added that the programme is guided by the Teacher Internship Policy and Guidelines (2019), which allows internship contracts to run for between three and 12 months, with provision for extension where necessary.
Currently, 20,000 intern teachers are serving in junior schools under contracts running from January 1, 2025 to December 31.
However, the commission has offered to extend the contracts for one more year, citing lack of budgetary allocation in the 2025/2026 financial year to confirm them into permanent terms.
“This extension is an offer and not automatic. Those who accept will continue serving under the existing internship terms, while those who decline will exit the programme in accordance with their contracts,” the commission said.
Despite growing pressure from unions and teachers’ groups for the immediate confirmation of interns, TSC maintained that absorption into permanent employment is fully dependent on budgetary approval by the National Treasury and Parliament.
“TSC remains committed to progressively absorbing qualified teachers, including former interns, subject to availability of funds and approval by Parliament,” the commission said.
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On pay, TSC clarified that intern teachers are paid a gross monthly stipend of Ksh20,000, which translates to an average net pay of about Ksh17,000 after statutory deductions.
The commission also stated that all teachers assigned to the new level are professionally qualified despite concerns over understaffing, heavy workloads and low pay.
The Education ministry also acknowledged that the introduction of junior school—which covers Grades 7, 8 and 9—in 2023 significantly increased the demand for teachers.
“The government has recruited 56,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms since the inception of junior school, deployed 10,097 qualified primary school teachers to the new level, and is currently relying on 20,000 intern teachers, with an additional 24,000 set to report in January 2026,” Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said.
TSC also defended the deployment of teachers across multiple learning areas, saying the junior school curriculum is largely based on secondary school content, which can only be effectively delivered by graduate teachers trained in at least two teaching subjects.
“TSC ensures that subject assignment in junior schools aligns with teachers’ areas of training. Integrated Science is taught by teachers trained in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, while Pre-Technical Studies is handled by teachers trained in Technical Education,” it said.
On the issue of heavy workloads, where some teachers handle up to 40 lessons per week against the recommended 28, TSC said it is undertaking regular staff balancing to redistribute teachers from well-staffed schools to those with acute shortages.
By Our reporter
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