21000 Intern Teachers to Renew Their Contracts in January
21000 Intern Teachers to Renew Their Contracts in January. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) said more than 46,000 in-service teachers recruited this year will have their contracts extended by another year in January, with the aim of achieving permanent and pensionable status in 2025.
TSC CEO Nancy Macharia told the Senate Education Committee on November 30 that the contracts of these teachers would initially expire in January 2024. However, due to lack of budget for their permanent employment, the commission plans to extend their contracts.
Macharia clarified that while there is not enough funding for permanent posts, there is a provision to extend their contracts and if additional funds are allocated, the commission is ready to absorb them.
Experienced teachers are expected to be given preference in filling vacancies in schools, with their recruitment being automatic without the need to advertise the positions, according to Macharia. Most of those teachers are currently assigned to lower schools that only had seventh grade this year, and the addition of a grade next year is expected to double their workload.
Interns in junior and senior high schools earn Sh20,000 a month, while those in primary schools receive Sh15,000 a month. The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) has pushed for the confirmation of teachers’ contracts for permanent tenures, highlighting possible disruption to the implementation of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) if it is not done by January. 2024 expiration.
KUPPET Secretary General Akello Misori emphasized the importance of protecting the education system from disruption and highlighted the key role that in-service teachers play in the transition to CBC. Misori also noted the difficult conditions of service for these teachers, including lower salaries, no health insurance and no pension contributions.
During the Senate committee hearing, Macharia disclosed that TSC has 34,970 teachers on the waiting list for promotion, of which 21,051 are in grade C3 and 13,919 are in grade C5. These promotions were delayed due to lack of funds. However, 36,512 positions have been advertised and interviews are scheduled for December 4 in various counties, at an estimated cost to the government of Sh1.1 billion.
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