KUPPET Opposes Extension of Intern Teachers Contract
The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers has criticized the decision to extend intern contracts, with secretary-general Akelo Misori opposing the extended internship duration. He claimed that it would demotivate teachers who already face difficult working conditions and inadequate pay.
Secondary school teachers on contract are paid Sh20,000 per month under the internship program, while primary school teachers are paid Sh15,000. Misori stressed that the first contracts only stated a one-year internship.
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Misori informed the news outlet that despite the teachers’ employment contracts explicitly stating a one-year internship period, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has failed to initiate the required actions for permanent employment starting from January 2024, when their current contracts are set to expire.
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Teachers (KUPPET) has been urging the government to absorb all intern teachers.
According to KUPPET, it deems it unfair for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to hire replacement teachers on permanent and pensionable terms while requesting intern teachers to sign a one-year contract with minimal compensation.
KUPPET says many secondary schools are currently confronting a shortage of teachers due to natural attrition and retirement, and as a result, the government has no basis to deny intern teachers the positions.
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The 46,000 intern teachers hired this year will have their contracts extended in January for another year before becoming permanent and pensionable workers in 2025.
On Thursday, November 30, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) chief executive officer, Nancy Macharia, informed the Senate Committee on Education that teachers’ contracts are scheduled to conclude in January 2024.
However, she asserted that the commission lacks the budgetary resources to convert their employment to permanent and pensionable terms.
Ms. Macharia declared that teachers will receive priority in filling school vacancies and will be automatically hired without the need for publicizing the openings.
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KUPPET Opposes Extension of Intern Teachers Contract
