KUPPET Urges TSC for Swift Confirmation of Intern Teachers
KUPPET Urges TSC for Swift Confirmation of Intern Teachers. The Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) finds itself in a dispute with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) concerning the contractual terms of instructors.
Advocating for Prompt Transition: KUPPET’s Call to Confirm Intern Teachers Quickly
Expressing disapproval, KUPPET reacts to TSC’s recent statement indicating that contract teachers will continue for an additional year before a reevaluation of their terms of service. Clarifying the situation, TSC’s director of staffing, Antonina Lentoijoni, explains that after two years of service, the 46,000 teachers would automatically transition to permanent and pensionable (PNP) status.
Distinguishing between two groups of interns—those who began service on February 1 and those on September 1—Lentoijoni notes that letters of extension for another year, set for distribution in December, specifically pertain to those who started in February.
In a recent session with the National Assembly Education Committee, KUPPET emphasizes that TSC must uphold its commitment to promptly convert teachers to permanent and pensionable status after their first year.
Akelo Misori, KUPPET’s Secretary General, voices concern about the potential demoralization of primary and junior secondary school teachers due to the proposed delay in transitioning from internship contracts. Despite contracts stipulating a single year of internship, TSC has yet to initiate measures for permanent positions effective January 2024.
Misori underscores the dedication of teachers during challenging conditions and urges their immediate confirmation as permanent and pensionable to stabilize institutions in the new year.
Despite facing meager salaries, teachers grapple with tax and statutory deductions akin to their military counterparts. Operating in demanding conditions, they receive only half of the expected salary and contribute to mandatory housing levy and NSSF without access to the standard pension scheme.
Misori further highlights the more dire conditions for junior secondary school teachers under primary school administrators, who are compelled to buy teaching aids due to insufficient supplies in the primary schools where they are stationed.