Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has announced that the government has converted 46,000 intern teachers into permanent, pensionable positions.
He made this statement during the inauguration of 12 newly constructed classrooms at Kakamega Primary and Junior School in Kakamega County. These classrooms are part of the government’s nationwide initiative to construct an additional 16,000 classrooms for the inaugural Grade 9 cohort, which will start in January 2025.
“In addition to constructing classrooms, the government is also distributing textbooks across the country to achieve a ratio of one book per learner in core learning areas.”
“The earlier cohort of 46,000 interns has now been transitioned to permanent and pensionable status,” Ogamba stated.
He further announced that the government, through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), is also employing an additional 20,000 intern teachers to help address the ongoing teacher shortage.
The First Cohort of 46,000 intern teachers to be employed on a Permanent and Pensionable basis
Ogamba’s announcement comes months after JSS teachers went on strike on April 17, 2024, demanding permanent and pensionable employment.
The strike was suspended on June 8, 2024, following successful negotiations led by the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET).
Also Read: TSC Responds to Notice on Deployment of Teachers to JSS
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori revealed that the TSC had agreed to several key terms during these negotiations.
President William Ruto has occasionally reaffirmed his commitment to confirming the 46,000 intern teachers.
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On August 29, President Ruto stated that his government would absorb these teachers into permanent and pensionable positions, with an injection of Sh18 billion allocated to the TSC for this purpose.
President Ruto pledges to hire JSS teachers
“We have a significant shortage of teachers, and we also have a large pool of trained teachers in schools that lack staff. If I had opted to hire teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, I could have only employed 12,000 or 13,000.”
“Instead, I chose to hire this large pool of unemployed teachers as interns, with the assurance that after two years of internship, they would secure permanent and pensionable positions. They will now be confirmed in the next two months,” Ruto explained.
Also Read: Employment Hopes for 46,000 JSS Teachers Dashed as Gov’t Cites Lack of Funds
Elsewhere, the TSC announced the recruitment of 46,000 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms of service.
In a notice on Tuesday, October 1, TSC invited applications from qualified teachers to fill 6,000 posts for Primary Schools, 39,550 posts for Junior Secondary Schools (JSS), and 450 posts for Secondary Schools.
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