Relief as TSC reinstates sacked JSS teachers

 

When Nairobi County Junior Secondary School teachers held peaceful demonstrations on May 13, 2024, urging the government to employ them under permanent and personable.[Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

The Teachers Service Commission has reinstated 720 Junior Secondary School (JSS) who were sacked after a three-week strike that disrupted learning in schools.

The strike was about 46,000 JSS teachers, who were serving as interns. The teachers demanded that they be converted to Permanent and Pensionable terms.

TSC, which had faulted the teachers for desertion of duty, indicated that they would have to wait longer for such a conversion.

Buoyed by the backing of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), the teachers pressed on with their strike paralysing learning in schools.

On Friday, KUPPET said a resolution was reached between the teachers and their employer.

KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori said all the teachers who had been dismissed had been pardoned.

"All teachers from Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) who were dismissed from service in June 2024 have won back their jobs. All the affected teachers have been reinstated into the payroll and their dismissal letters cancelled," Misori said.

Misori explained that the union had negotiated with the Commission to give the teachers another chance, as this was their first offense.

 “KUPPET took great exception to the dismissals which went contrary to the rules of natural justice demanding that no one should be condemned unheard. None of the affected teachers was accorded an opportunity to defend themselves at a disciplinary hearing,” said Misori.

Misori said the union successfully challenged the dismissals using various strategies, including negotiation, political advocacy, and the threat of industrial action.

However, Misori expressed disappointment that, despite the reinstatement, there has been no progress on converting the teachers to permanent and pensionable terms, which was the basis of strike.

 “Regrettably, the reinstatement of the teachers still leaves unresolved the major issue of their conversion into permanent and pensionable employment,” he said.

Misori called on the government to address the issue urgently to prevent a shortage of teachers in the country.

“KUPPET is gravely concerned by the government’s wavering commitment to the teachers’ permanent terms and employment of 20,000 new teachers to plug the huge deficit in JSS,” Misori said.

He also noted that the TSC's decision to reinstate the teachers came after President William Ruto took a personal interest in the matter.

"When the union, through our National Chairman Omboko Milemba, tabled the teachers’ grievances at the top organs of the government, the President took it to himself," Misori said.

Last month, KUPPET Deputy Secretary General Moses Nthurima voiced the union's frustration over the dismissals and warned of potential consequences.

“The dismissal negates the return-to-work formula that KUPPET negotiated with the Teachers Service Commission on behalf of the JSS teachers. It is beyond sad that the TSC, which is mandated to enhance the dignity of the teaching profession, is the one treating teachers worse than casual workers,” said Nthurima.