Big Blow to JSS Intern Teachers as Permanent Confirmation by TSC is Pushed to January 2025
Big Blow to JSS Intern Teachers as Permanent Confirmation by TSC is Pushed to January 2025. According to Nancy Macharia, CEO of the TSC, in a statement made yesterday before the National Assembly’s Education Committee, the 20,000 teachers employed in February on contract terms won’t acquire permanent employment with pension benefits until January 2025.
TSC plans to hire 20,000 more teachers on a contract basis in the fiscal year beginning in July, but the amount will still be insufficient to increase enrollment at junior secondary schools (JSS). Sh4.7 billion will be spent on employment.
According to Ms. Macharia, if the job terms were changed to permanent and pensionable, the commission would not have enough money to engage the additional teachers needed for JSS.
Teachers who are employed to replace those who have left the service due to natural attrition will be hired on a permanent basis and be eligible for pensions, she said.
She was making recommendations for the fiscal year 2023–2024’s income and spending predictions.
According to the CEO, the qualified teachers employed under contract are dedicated to upholding the standard of instruction. The budget policy statement for 2023–2024 includes Sh322 billion for the TSC.
TSC started employing teachers on a contract basis in 2019, and they are referred to as trainees.
When employing permanent and pensionable instructors, they often get preference and are given higher ratings than those who are not in the program.
The “stipend” for primary school interns is Sh15,000, while the “stipend” for secondary school interns is Sh20,000.
According to the amount of teachers who apply for jobs when they are advertised, there are more than 300,000 unemployed teachers despite the fact that there aren’t enough staff members in schools.
Although Ms. Macharia confirmed that almost half of the instructors posted to JSS had not yet received payment, she attributed the delay to the schools of the teachers, who did not all report at the same time, for bringing in their reports later than anticipated.
According to the TSC’s head, the commission needs Sh2.2 billion to progress teachers who have been in the same grades for a while.
A new teacher remuneration plan is not mentioned in the budget predictions.
The corporation has requested a renegotiate of the non-monetary collective bargaining agreement that the unions and the company reached in 2021.
However, the commission has allocated Sh6 billion for joint cadre promotions and annual wage hikes. The commission’s chairman, Julius Melly, gave TSC the task of creating an exact formula to determine the quantity of instructors needed for JSS.
The Kwanza administration, which is currently in charge in Kenya, pledged to hire 116,000 teachers within two fiscal years.
Mr. Melly also argued for sufficient teacher control to guarantee that the government got value for its money.
TSC requires Sh300 million to fund its projects at the county and sub-county levels, according to Ms. Macharia’s request.
According to Ms. Macharia, TSC’s county and sub-county offices play a significant role in the execution of Teacher Performance Appraisal and Development as well as the implementation and supervision of performance contracts.
She went on to say that they make a substantial contribution to the fast resolution of pending disciplinary issues and the application of teaching standards.
According to TSC records, a Sh2.1 billion request to fund the Professional Teacher Development program was made, but it was not taken into account.
When the program was first introduced, teachers were supposed to pay for the training, but the unions have been pushing for the TSC to pick up the price. According to Ms. Macharia, the commission had no outstanding invoices, no projects that had been put on hold, and no new projects that were budgeted.