TSC to Recruit 20,000 Intern Teachers as Treasury Allocates Ksh 1 Billion for Promotions.
While the existing interns await confirmation, the Teachers service Commission (TSC) still plans to recruit an additional 20,000 intern teachers in the current year. TSC Finance Director Cheptumo Ayabei confirmed that the necessary financial provision for this new batch has been met.
In addition, he noted that Ksh 1 billion has been allocated for promotions in the current and upcoming financial years. This funding, he assured the Committee, is part of the overall budget despite not being explicitly itemized.
The Committee underscored the urgency of employing permanent teachers due to significant staffing deficits in schools. They warned that missing a full recruitment year would severely impact education quality.
Committee members urged TSC to make a formal request to the National Treasury, highlighting the fact that the previous year saw the recruitment of 20,000 interns who now deserve permanent positions.
In a bid to strengthen the implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), the government last year converted 39,550 junior secondary school teachers from contract to permanent and pensionable terms. Additionally, 8,378 primary school teachers were reassigned to junior schools after receiving the necessary upgrades.
However, these measures have not alleviated the staffing crisis in the 20,000 junior secondary schools across the country. According to data from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), there is still a shortage of 72,422 teachers.
This has led to overcrowded classrooms, overstretched educators, and a lack of subject specialists necessary for effective curriculum delivery.
Financial Constraints Affect Teacher Recruitment
TSC team, led by Finance Director Cheptumo Ayabei explained that due to limited fiscal space and budgetary constraints, the Treasury had only indicated availability of funds for the recruitment of interns, ruling out the possibility of converting more intern teachers to permanent terms.
As a result, older interns, particularly those above 45 years, face an uncertain future due to the lack of funding for their absorption into permanent roles in the financial year beginning July.
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The TSC has been allocated Sh387.7 billion for the upcoming financial year. However, several crucial areas remain underfunded or completely unfunded.
These include the teachers’ medical scheme, the handling of disciplinary cases, and the implementation of the 2025–2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The current CBA is set to expire at the end of June, with fresh negotiations expected to begin soon.
TSC to Recruit 20,000 Intern Teachers as Treasury Allocates Ksh 1 Billion for Promotions.
