Permanent jobs for intern teachers on course, Ruto affirms

President William Ruto. [PCS] 

President William Ruto has announced that earlier planned conversion of 46,000 junior secondary school intern teachers into permanent terms is on course.

The President said on Friday that despite the fall of the Finance Bill, 2024 which was meant to cater for the 2024/2025 budget shortfall, the government will look for ways of raising money to hire them.

However, the intern teachers could wait longer in the push for better pay and permanent job terms after President Willliam Ruto on Friday called for their patience to source funding for their employment.

Initially, the Ruto administration had set aside Sh18.3 billion to hire intern teachers.

The fall of the bill had created a budget hole of Sh346 billion but Ruto said the government would not borrow the whole amount but Sh169 billion.

Addressing the nation from State House, Ruto said the government will rationalise its budget to accommodate the teachers as promised.

The President said that since the Finance Bill was rejected, the government has since consulted extensively to strike a middle ground between borrowing money and striking austerity measures.

The anticipated budget cuts stem from the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 which was dropped after public outcry and street protests.

The bill sought to fill the budget shortfall in the 2024/2025 financial year budget.

"We will be proposing budget cuts of Sh177 billion and borrow the difference," he said.

"Whatever we are going to borrow will increase the budget deficit from 3.3 per cent to 4.6 per cent of the GDP, but still lower than last year."

In a statement following a Parliamentary Group Meeting by the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition on June 18, National Assembly Finance Committee Chair Kimani Kuria said enough funds have been allocated for confirmation of the 46,000 interns.

"The PG was also informed that adequate funds -KSh18 billion - have been provided for the employment of all 46,000 Junior Secondary teachers who are on internship," Kimani said.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is also expected to hire 20,000 interns beginning next month to curb the shortage of teachers in Junior School as the pioneer class moves to Grade 9 in January 2025.

“The funds have also been provided to hire 20,000 interns next month. The policy is now to transition teachers from internship to permanent and pensionable terms,” he added.

However, the Sh18 billion could fall short of the funds required to employ all the interns with TSC stating that it required Sh30 billion to hire all 46,000 interns into permanent terms by July 1, 2024.

This could mean that TSC will be forced to employ a section of the intern teachers first while the others await extra allocation for the confirmation to permanent and pensionable.

The internship programme began in 2019 with those employed to teach secondary being paid Sh20,000 while their primary counterparts get Sh15,000.

During their demos, the JSS interns argued that the amount was too little to sustain their livelihoods.

In February 2023, TSC hired 21,550 junior school and 4,000 primary school intern instructors were hired.

In April 2023, 450 intern instructors for secondary schools were hired and in September 2023, 18,000 junior school and 2,000 primary school intern instructors were hired.