Unions Abandon 46,000 JSS Teachers in TSC Pact, Interns Feels Exploited and Betrayed.
The fate of the 46,000 junior school teachers hired on contract now rests with President William Ruto, who excluded them from the Teachers Service Commission’s (TSC) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers’ (Kuppet) return-to-work agreement.
The teachers, also known as interns, now accuse Kuppet and the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) of using them as one of their complaints and then abandoning them once they had met their other demands. While Knut postponed their strike until the evening, Kuppet members boycotted work until Monday evening, September 2nd.
In an interview with the Nation, Kuppet Secretary-General Akelo Misori stated that the conversion of teachers to permanent terms is a political issue that the union will debate with the President.
Mr. Misori stated that the strike had achieved almost all of their goals, while acknowledging that they could not achieve everything initially set out.
He explained that the issue of employing Junior Secondary (JS) teachers was influenced by politics, with the Cabinet Secretary for Education providing a promissory note for Sh47 billion. He added that they would approach the President regarding this matter.
Misori further noted that the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) was supposed to include the employment of JS teachers in their list of demands in the return-to-work formula, but it was left out due to the need for further engagement with the government. The TSC sought assurance from the National Treasury that the funds would be available before including them in the agreement.
Issue Not Addressed in TSC Meeting
The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) did not adress the fate of 46,000 intern teachers in their meeting with Teachers Service Commission on Monday.
Mwalimu News has learned that the National Executive Board (NEB) officials did not even mention the issue, which was a central issue of the strike. According to sources, TSC officials asserted that the president will handle this issue alone.
Kisii branch secretary Joseph Mogire claimed that NEB members had deceived the branches and teachers by calling off the strike without first asking authorization, as required by the union’s constitution.
“The confirmation of JSS intern teachers, acting principals, and their deputies, as well as allowance issues, were not handled. They have betrayed us after we have committed a significant amount of resources to the strike,” he added.
Branch secretaries, including Moffats Okisai (Busia), Caleb Mogere (Kilifi), and Francis Wanjohi (Nyeri), have all stated that they will hold NEB officials accountable for their acts.
“The teachers feel wasted and deceived. Why allow us to drive deeper, harder, and firmer if your team (NEB) withdraws the strike prematurely?” Mr Okisai was questioned during an interview.
No Funds
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi initially claimed there was no funding for the JS teachers’ confirmation a few days before the strike started, but he later changed his mind and said they would receive confirmation in January 2025.
TSC and Kuppet’s consent, filed in the Employment and Labour Relations Court on Wednesday, September 4, and admitted yesterday, September 5, did not include the JS teachers issue. Mr. Misori stated that the withdrawal occurred due to TSC’s requirement to secure the necessary funds from the Treasury.
In May, JS teachers went on strike, demanding permanent employment, and only returned to work after receiving assurances of their absorption by July. However, this did not happen, as the government argued that the rejection of the Finance Bill in 2024 meant there was no funding available to hire the teachers, and they would have to wait until January 2025.
The joint statement signed by top TSC and Kuppet officials was non-committal on the teachers’ permanent employment, adding only that “the government has provided resources for retooling of JS school teachers,” which was not the teachers’ demand.
John Melvin, a junior school teacher, says the development was unsurprising, as both unions had opposed the four-week strike by junior school teachers, which disrupted learning at the start of the second term.
He suggested that the unions had likely used the confirmation of junior school teachers as a bargaining tool to push for the implementation of their collective bargaining agreements, which was their primary focus. According to Melvin, the concerns of the 46,000 junior school teachers were not a priority for the unions.
KNUT and KUPPET Used JSS Teachers
Mr. Ogamba stated that the government had allocated Sh18.7 billion for the conversion of intern teachers to permanent and pensionable status by January 2025. Another junior school teacher leader, Omari Omari, expressed frustration, demanding immediate confirmation of the teachers’ permanent status.
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He remarked that both Knut and Kuppet had deceived them, claiming that the unions’ inclusion of their agenda in the strike was merely a public relations stunt. Omari asserted that the unions’ primary goal was to leverage their strength to boost membership after their confirmation.
He added that despite their efforts to reach out to the unions, they encountered resistance. Omari noted that they had met with officers from the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and the chair of the Education Committee of the National Assembly, Julius Melly, who assured them of their confirmation in January. However, Omari emphasized that they were currently enduring hardship.
Unions Abandon 46,000 JSS Teachers in TSC Pact, Interns Feels Exploited and Betrayed.
