The Teacher Service Commission (TSC) continues to remain mum even as the jss interns demonstrations intensify. The tutors who are running down their contracts have demanded their employer to confirm them to Permanent and Pensionable terms but the TSC wants them to renew for another one year.
Photo credit : The Star: Kwale JSS intern teachers hold protests on December 5, 2023.
Earlier this year, the TSC CEO Dr Nancy Macharia told Parliament Education Committee that the jss interns will be confirmed in 2025 subject to availability of funds. This sparked an outrage amongst the contract teachers who were hoping for confirmation at the end of their contract in 2023. The rage simmered down with time as they banked on a change of mind come December. As we approach the end of the contract, it has become clearer that the TSC isn't going to change their mind, at least going by the silent approach to the demos.
Appearing before the Education committee last month, TSC contingent told the law makers that interns must serve for two years before being absorbed as Permanent and Pensionable employees. This essentially means that the earliest group of 46,000 interns to be confirmed will in January of 2025. The declaration irked the interns who demanded confirmation and rejected the planned contract renewal exercise.
The agitation for confirmation has gained traction ever since tsc made the pronouncement. It swiftly began with online expressions on the social media sites;Facebook, WhatsApp and X (formerly Twitter). The popular sites were flooded with posts and hashtags addressing the plight of jss interns hoping it will reach the decision makers and consequently consider their prayers.
To add more volume to their voice, online mobilization culminated into sporadic demonstrations across the nation but they have intensified with most counties registering a representation. Interns have taken upon themselves to fight what they call an injustice. The tutors have decried the poor working conditions in primary schools where they are stationed, little stipend which is also subjected to statutory deductions and unending raffling of feathers with their primary counterparts.
They want the tsc to first, urgently confirm the interns who have served one year contract and secondly move Junior Secondary School to existing High schools. For the confirmation, they cite the harsh economic times which a 17k stipend cannot sustain, in addition tsc locked them out of replacements in high schools despite posessing better credentials than the current beneficiaries of the slots. So it's only fair if they are confirmed so that they are motivated to work.
Most Primary schools lack the basic infrastructure for any proper curriculum implementation and the matters are worse with the CBC curriculum which is heavily practice oriented. Jss teachers face multiple hurdles when delivering as they have to contend with the un-enabling environment. They want tsc to address this concerns before schools reopen on January 8th, 2024. So far tsc hasn't given an official response even as the agitation intensifies nationwide
To facilitate smooth transition transition to Junior Secondary School Education under the CBC curriculum framework, tsc contracted 21k interns teachers to junior schools which are currently domiciled in primary schools. The teachers who are trained to teach in high schools have threatened to down their tools if tsc won't heed to their calls. Tsc, other hand, remains adamant that the educators must be more patient.
We'll see how this impasse plays out.
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