The Kenya National Union of Teachers has lauded the National Assembly for taking a leading role in fast-tracking the employment of intern Junior Secondary School (JSS) interns.
KNUT Secretary General Collins Oyuu therefore has asked the JSS interns to resume teaching immediately as their contracts are being worked on by the Teachers Service Commission.
Speaking to Education News on phone, Oyuu said he had initially impressed upon the intern to be patient as their issues are looked into.
He faulted those who were planning to engage the interns on January next year.
“The financial year does not start in January, on the contrary it starts in July or thereabout,” he said.
The National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson Ndindi Nyoro earlier announced that interns will soon be employed on Permanent and Pensionable terms.
The 46,000 teachers, who are currently serving on contract terms, have paralysed learning in JSS classes in a bid to push the TSC.
Nyoro said TSC has been allocated the biggest budget amounting to over KSh300 billion from which he said the commission will get resources to employ the protesting teachers on permanent terms.
“TSC is the number one highest funded institution in Kenya with over KSh300 billion. We want to confirm JSS teachers and I want to reassure them that we are going to provide money for the confirmation of Permanent and Pensionable terms to intern JSS teachers,” Nyoro said.
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However, there are reports that the money allocated to TSC may not be enough to confirm to permanent terms all the 46,000 intern JSS teachers.
Responding to reports that the Department of Basic Education had its budget slashed by over KSh19 billion, Nyoro said there is no cause for alarm although each department was pushing for more allocations.
Parliamentary Education Committee chairman Julius Melly last week disclosed that not all intern JSS teachers currently hired on contract will be absorbed by TSC.
“Parliament has allocated TSC with a kitty to hire 26,000 JSS interns on a permanent basis. The remaining would be absorbed in the subsequent years, hence we need them to be patient,” Melly said.
The MP revealed that his committee yielded to the National Treasury’s explanation of why they could not absorb the entire JSS interns due to financial constraints.
On 17 April, Justice Bryrum Ongaya of the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that TSC violated the intern teachers’ right to fair labour practice.
“The respondents have not exhibited statutory regulatory or policy arrangements that would entitle the first respondent (TSC) to employ interns,” he said.
“Ideally, the first respondent should employ registered teachers on terms that are not discriminatory and to meet the optimal staffing needs in public schools.”
By Fredrick Odiero
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