Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has asked the JSS intern teachers to obey court orders and report to work warning that stringent disciplinary action will be taken against those who refuse to resume duties.
“The Commission calls upon the teacher interns engaged under the programme to obey the court order and go back to school as teaching and learning in all public schools formally resumed on May 13,” Jamlick Muturi, TSC chairman, said this week.
On Friday, May 17, the TSC announced that it will collect attendance reports from school heads.
Cavin Anyuor, TSC Legal Affairs Director, said that action taken by the commission will rest heavily on the attendance report that TSC will receive.
“The commission is aware that there are some interns who are picketing. Schools reopened on May 13 and the commission has since directed that data will be collected by Friday this week, we will know who is in class and who is not and then the provision of the teacher’s code of conduct will be appealed in that regard,” Anyuor said.
Since school reopening teachers from different counties have been participating in street protests, demanding improved pay and permanent employment terms.
Owino Okelo, the Chairperson of Nairobi County JSS intern teachers, led a protest where they marched from the Nairobi bus terminus to the TSC headquarters. The teachers, who are supported by Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), advocated for fair treatment and improved working conditions.
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They also declared that they intend to intensify their demonstrations next week.
According to Daniel Murithi, the secretary-general of the Kenya Junior Secondary Teachers Association, the communication from TSC urging them to resume work will not change their determination. “The fact that TSC has responded requesting you to go back to school, means reports have reached them that the majority are not going back to school. The fact that they are requesting you to go back tells you that they can’t replace 46,000 teachers even if they want,” Murithi said on Wednesday, May 15.
In April, a labour court ruling deemed the internship program illegal due to unequal pay for equal work. Nevertheless, a stay order permitted the TSC to continue recruiting interns until August 1. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) stated that it will engage in negotiations with the interns only if they fail to appeal and overturn the ruling declaring the internship program illegal.
“If we lose the stay (on the court order outlawing hiring of intern teachers) we will negotiate with these teachers to come to an understanding so that their conversion to Permanent and Pensionable can start in January 2025,” said Anyuor.
The Commission stated that they are experiencing a budget shortfall and that it lacks KSh30 billion needed to offer the interns permanent, pensionable jobs. However, TSC proposes a phased approach to employ 26,000 interns who have successfully served for two years. According to Anyuor, they require KSh8.3 billion for this project.
The ongoing strike poses a threat to school administrators who are already under pressure due to the shortened term and lack of capitation money from the Ministry of Education.
By Frank Mugwe
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