Push for intern teachers to be hired permanently

Kuppet Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima and Secretary General Akelo Misori issue a strike warning on July 19, 2024. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

A union wants the government to immediately hand permanent employment to the 46,000 teachers currently working as interns.

The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), through its secretary general Akelo Misori, is also demanding the employment of 20,000 new intern teachers for junior secondary schools (JSS).

Meanwhile, Misori has faulted the government for cutting education funding. The government blamed the decision to slash education sector funding on the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024. 

Kuppet also wants full implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the immediate disbursement of the overdue medical funds.

Misori said the State should immediately convert teachers serving under internship to permanent and pensionable terms.

“We demand an immediate conversion of 46,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms, a matter which Kuppet has pursued for more than a year,” said Misori yesterday.

Appearing before the National Assembly Education Committee, chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, on Wednesday Teachers Service Commission (TSC) boss Nancy Macharia said intern teachers would have to wait longer to join the government, blaming it on budget cuts.

But Misori said he expects teachers to receive their confirmation letters by the end of the month and see their upgraded salaries reflected in their bank accounts next week.

He wants the human resources in JSS to increase in readiness for the transition of 1.2 million learners to Grade 9 next year.

“We want the immediate employment of new 20,000 teachers for JSS. This recruitment would still leave JSS schools understaffed by nearly 73,000 teachers,” said Misori.

Misori criticised what he termed as the government’s casual attitude towards teachers’ welfare and condemned the Salaries and Remuneration Commission accusing it of enabling the government to undermine workers’ rights.

He insists on the complete implementation of the CBA, including the August 2023 addendum.

Dr Macharia said pay increase for teachers set in the CBA is among the programmes affected by the government’s austerity measures following the slashing of the commission’s budget by Sh10.28 billion. 

This reduction means TSC will not be able to implement the second phase of the CBA, Macharia said.

The deal, signed by Kuppet, the Kenya National Union of Teachers, and the Kenya Union of Special Needs Education Teachers, was set to give teachers a basic salary increment of up to 9.5 per cent.

Dr Macharia had warned that failing to honour the agreement could lead to court cases and strikes. She told the committee that the Treasury has been informed about the impact of the budget cuts. According to the TSC boss, the available funds are only sufficient to cover salaries.

Insisting that TSC must keep its side of the bargain, Misori maintained that despite providing minimal benefits, the agreement went through the full legal process, including registration at the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

The Kuppet boss insisted that benefits are non-negotiable and must be honoured.