JSS teachers in Kilifi threaten to down tools over delayed permanent employment
Junior Secondary School teachers in Kilifi County are calling on the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to offer them permanent contracts, warning that they will not return to work next year if their demands are not met.
Speaking to the media in Kilifi Town, the teachers claimed they have been performing the same duties as their permanently employed colleagues, yet their pay remains extremely low, a situation that greatly affects their productivity.
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Led by Mutuku Mutuku, the intern teachers said that TSC intends to compel them to sign another contract as interns instead of employing them permanently, even though their initial one-year contracts have already expired.
“We have worked diligently for a whole year, handling the same workload as permanent teachers, but our pay is still very low. It is unfair for TSC to ask us to sign another internship contract. We deserve confirmation,” Mutuku said.
The teachers also blamed Members of Parliament in the National Assembly for failing to raise their issue and push the Executive to allocate a budget to facilitate their permanent employment.
“Our MPs have remained silent on our issue. We are calling on them to raise our concerns in Parliament and ensure funds are set aside for our employment,” another teacher lamented.
Kilifi Branch Executive Secretary of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), Mogere Caleb, urged the government to comply with a court order to abolish internship programmes for teachers and ensure they are employed on permanent terms immediately after graduating from universities.
“The government should respect the court order and stop engaging teachers on internship. All qualified teachers should be employed on permanent and pensionable terms immediately after graduating,” Mogere said.
Furthermore, the KUPPET County Secretary emphasised that employing teachers on permanent terms would spare them the suffering caused by the meagre salaries they receive during their internship period.
“Many of these teachers are struggling to make ends meet due to the meagre stipends they receive. Permanent employment will restore their dignity and improve their livelihoods,” he added.
The teachers now fear that the implementation of the Competency-Based Education (CBE), especially for Grade 10, may be disrupted, given the existing shortage of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers in schools.
