Former Bomet MP Nick Salat has called for urgent dialogue regarding the situation of Junior Secondary School(JSS) teachers. He noted that this holiday period is the best time for stakeholders to come together and have a meaningful conversation.
In a phone interview, Salat emphasised that the issue must be resolved before the new year begins, urging all education actors to sit down, engage, and find a lasting solution.
His call comes at a time when the fate of thousands of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers hangs in the balance.
When the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) first recruited teachers on an internship basis, it assured them that, upon completing one full year of service, they would be converted to permanent, pensionable employment.
Their contracts elapse in December.
For many teachers, this was a moment of hope — a chance to finally secure stable careers after years of struggling through short-term contracts and financial uncertainty.
However, as the year progressed, worry began to grow. The teachers’ internship stipends were low, barely enough to meet daily needs, yet their workload remained heavy as they played a critical role in supporting the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
By the time the internship year approached its end, confirmation letters had still not been issued. Instead of the celebration they had anticipated, anxiety flooded the education sector.
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The teacher unions stepped in, demanding clarity and fairness. They insisted that the intern teachers had already fulfilled their obligation to serve learners faithfully for a year and therefore deserved immediate confirmation.
The protests broke out in several regions, with teachers vowing not to accept another round of internship contracts, saying it would amount to exploitation.
It is this tension that Salat is seeking to ease. He believes the most responsible step now is to engage in open, honest, and inclusive dialogue.
According to him, the holiday period offers the perfect window for TSC, the Ministry of Education, the Treasury, unions, and teacher representatives to meet without disrupting learning at the beginning of the new year.
Salat warns that delaying the matter until January would only create further confusion and possibly disrupt the academic calendar.
Resolving the issue before the new year, he says, is not just about confirming teachers — it is about safeguarding learners’ future and strengthening confidence in the education sector.
As the new year approaches, the call for resolution grows louder, and all eyes are now on the stakeholders to deliver certainty to JSS teachers.
By Philip Koech
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