Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers have a reason to celebrate following a proposal to change their employment contracts to permanent and pensionable following their sacking by the Teachers Service Commission.
Thousands of JSS teachers on contract were sacked by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) two days after calling off their strike with the commission citing absconding of their duties as the reason for the termination of the contracts.
Reading the Budget Statement on Thursday afternoon, Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) Njuguna Ndung’u proposed a Sh13.4 billion allocation to hire 46,000 JSS interns.
“Mr Speaker, I have proposed an allocation of Sh13.4 billion for conversion of 46,000 Junior Secondary School interns to permanent and pensionable terms,” said Prof Ndung’u in Parliament Buildings.
JSS intern teachers went on strike in May when schools reopened for the second term.
The teachers who demanded employment on a permanent and pensionable basis were assured they would be absorbed in the next financial year and signed a return to work formula at the start of June ending a three-week strike.
TSC on May 22 sent show-cause letters to the protesting teachers who had absconded their duties. They were required to submit their responses in two weeks.
TSC noted, while addressing the issue of termination of the teachers who took part in the strike, that it has up to 46,000 teachers contracted into internship positions across the country.
CS Ndung’u’s proposal will see the 46,000 JSS teachers absorbed as permanent workers in various schools.
The education docket received an allocation of Sh656.6 billion or 27.6 percent of total expenditure.
