Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers have agreed to suspend their ongoing demonstrations to facilitate the passage of the 2024/2025 national budget.
JSS officials said the decision is as a result of a series of successful negotiations with the National Assembly, Labour and education committees, which led to the approval of some of their demands and their subsequent presentation to the budget committee.
The officials further requested all the intern teachers to resume classes starting Monday, June 10, 2024.
“Teaching is a noble profession and many at times we make sacrifices for the sake of the future of our nation, but we have shown TSC and the government that they cannot take advantage of our caring nature to exploit us or enslave us,” JSS National Spokesperson Bonface Omari said.
Besides, the officials explained that teachers will proceed in good faith and are confident that Parliament’s engagement with the TSC will lead to compliance and fulfillment of their demands.
“Let this be the last time in the history of our nation that a qualified registered and licensed teacher is being enslaved in the name of internship,” Omari said.
JSS Teachers Threaten to Resume Strike in July
However, JSS Secretary General Daniel Mureithi emphasized that they will be going back to class as volunteers and not as interns.
“We are still teaching, but not as interns and we will insist we are not interns. We are teaching for freedom now as volunteers,” Mureithi said.
Additionally, they threatened to resume protests if TSC does not comply with the agreed terms by July 5, 2024.
The teachers’ leadership also warned that any misappropriation of funds by the TSC will result in a return to demonstrations.
“We are aware there are cases in court, we have appealed, that should not affect the confirmation of teachers, we are aware that internship was declared illegal. July we will come back with a greater force if they don’t confirm us,” Mureithi added.
Also Read: New Twist as JSS Teachers Split Over KUPPET Deal
KUPPET Intervenes
This comes a week after Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Secretary General Akelo Misori announced that the teachers signed a return-to-work formula to end their strike.
Misori said the interns will be hired on permanent and pensionable terms adding that TSC will retract all disciplinary letters issued during the strike.
“We have agreed that the TSC will retract all the warning letters issued to JSS teachers. The government has allocated funds to hire 26,000 teachers on a permanent basis,”Misori said.
Also Read: Intern Teachers to Enjoy Permanent and Pensionable Terms
The National Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson Ndindi Nyoro also said the government will employ JSS teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
Nyoro said the government has set aside Ksh300 billion in the 2024/2025 Financial Budget to employ the JSS intern teachers.
“We want to confirm JSS teachers, and I want to reassure them that we are going to provide money for the confirmation of permanent and pensionable terms to intern JSS teachers,” he said.
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