The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has revealed intentions to hire 20,000 intern teachers nationwide in a major effort to alleviate teacher shortages and stalled career advancement in the education sector.
This is one of the new initiatives backed by new National Treasury budgetary allotments. The TSC has been given Ksh 1 billion, which is especially designated for teacher advancement, according to official budget projections that were provided to the National Assembly.
Thousands of educators who have long advocated for upward mobility and who meet the necessary skills but have stayed in the same job group for years are likely to benefit from the financing.
The commission revealed that the recruitment of the 20,000 intern teachers will primarily target junior secondary schools, which continue to grapple with a critical shortage of staff since the rollout of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The interns will serve under the one-year internship program, with the expectation of easing the workload for existing staff and improving learning outcomes.
Under the internship program, successful candidates will receive a monthly stipend – Ksh 20,000 for those posted to primary schools and Ksh 25,000 for those in junior secondary schools.
Although the positions are not permanent and pensionable, they provide a gateway to future employment once budgetary provisions allow for permanent absorption.
The Ksh 1 billion promotion fund, meanwhile, is a welcome relief to teachers who have for years decried stagnation, often citing cases where educators have remained in the same job group for over a decade.
TSC has pledged to use the funds to promote teachers across various cadres, with a focus on merit and regional balance.
Education stakeholders have praised the move, terming it a step in the right direction. However, some have raised concerns about whether the allocated funds will be sufficient to address the promotion backlog affecting thousands of teachers countrywide.
This is a good start, but we are urging the government to commit even more resources towards both employment and promotion to reflect the increasing demand in schools,” said a senior official from the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), who welcomed the announcement but warned that sustained efforts are necessary to resolve long-standing issues in the sector.
As the new financial year approaches, attention now turns to the implementation of these initiatives, with teachers hopeful that the announced plans will translate into meaningful change on the ground.
The TSC is expected to release detailed recruitment and promotion guidelines in the coming weeks.