The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has raised concerns over the recent judgment by the Employment and Labour Relations Court which halted the employment of primary intern teachers in the country.
In its ruling, the court held that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) had no power to hire teachers on internship contracts. Adding that the Commission can only hire teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
In the statement, KUPPET argued that the ruling might cripple the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), which heavily rely on the intern teachers.
As a result, the Union now calls for immediate assurance that the interns' contracts will be upgraded to permanent and pensionable terms.
Further, it urged parliamentarians to convene a special session and appropriate emergency funds to convert intern teachers to permanent terms and facilitate other urgent interventions ahead of school re-opening in the country.
“The ruling has thrown into doubt the legality of the contracts held by 46,000 intern teachers, a majority of whom work in the Junior Secondary Schools. Indeed, intern teachers are the backbone of JSS. If their contracts remain in limbo, service delivery in JSS would be irreparably affected. KUPPET calls for an immediate assurance to the intern teachers that their contracts will be upgraded to permanent and pensionable terms to comply with the law,” read the statement.
