Fresh Twists On Confirmation Of Intern Teachers. The future of 46,000 intern teachers is at the heart of the current conflict in Kenya between the government and educators.
Julius Ogamba, Cabinet Secretary for Education, declared that these interns would need to reapply for posts that are permanent and pensionable.
He said the changeover process would start with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and be finished by December. As per the agreed budgetary timelines, the confirmed candidates will be notified by January 1, 2025.
Teacher unions, however, took issue with this announcement. Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), Akello Misori, said that since Ogamba is not their employer, he should not interfere and that the interns should immediately move into permanent positions.
Misori warned that the current situation could exacerbate tensions between teachers and the government, insisting that all 46,000 interns should be converted to permanent positions without additional applications.
Fresh Twists On Confirmation Of Intern Teachers
Collins Oyuu, Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), expressed confusion over the announcement, maintaining that all interns should be granted permanent status automatically.
He dismissed the idea of a fresh application process, stating, “When you are an intern, you are converted to permanent and pensionable terms.”
Concerns about the wait times for these interns’ confirmation have also been raised by the Education Committee. Chairman Julius Melly questioned the TSC about the Sh18 billion allotted for this procedure and voiced his dissatisfaction at their inaction.
The government’s statement, which goes against earlier promises of an easy transition, depresses intern instructors. Over 100,000 teachers have participated in Kuppet-led protests calling for permanent positions for Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers, which has further compounded the situation.
Ogamba gave the Parliament assurances that the government will increase teacher numbers in response to these difficulties, stating that preparations were in place to hire 20,000 more teachers to support JSS nationwide.