Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers from Kericho County are calling on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to confirm them as permanent and pensionable employees, in line with a court ruling on the employment of intern teachers.
Addressing the media in Kericho, the science teachers said they had not received any official communication from the TSC regarding their employment status, even as their internship contracts near expiry.
“There are interns serving under internship terms, the science teachers are yet to receive any communication, their terms of service is coming to an end, we want to hear one voice that is confirmation of the interns,” Mary Rotich, KUPPET Secretary General, Kericho County.
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The teachers cited a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which found that the TSC had no mandate to engage fully qualified and registered teachers as interns.
A court ruling cited that employing registered teachers on internship terms amounted to unfair labour practice under Article 41(2)(a) and (b) and discrimination under Article 27 of the Constitution.
Intern teachers also urged the government to hasten the confirmation process so that they can benefit from improved health coverage under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
The interns said they remain hopeful that the government and the TSC will comply with the court’s directive and regularize their employment terms before their contracts lapse.
The Government plans to migrate teachers’ medical cover from Minet Kenya to the SHA, a move expected to provide better health benefits for all educators.
By Obegi Malack
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