Teachers who are interns for the government will be given permanent employment with pension benefits.
According to an internal memo sent by Joseph Mugele, acting director of staffing for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), to all unit heads, this is the case.
In the continuing teacher recruiting process, “the Board has determined that all instructors who were participating in internship programs in 2022 be integrated on permanent and pensionable conditions of service,” Mr. Mugele added.
He said the interviews for the exercise commenced on Friday, January 13, and recruitment documents would be sent from February 6.
TSC advised head teachers to keep the interns’ names on the payroll for verification.
“Therefore, the goal of this document is to request that all teacher interns scheduled to start in 2022 not be removed from the payroll while their applications for permanent employment with pension benefits are processed. Please take note of this advice and pass it along to your team,” he urged.
The government had put aside Sh2.5 billion for the hire of 5,000 teachers and Sh1.2 billion for the appointment of 6,000 intern teachers, according to TSC CEO Nancy Macharia last year.
According to Macharia, the funding could hire 5,000 new teachers for seven months and 10,000 interns for nine months.
This year, TSC plans to hire 21,550 intern instructors to help with the shortage of tutors in secondary and primary schools. In primary schools, an additional 4,300 instructors will be hired on a contract basis, while secondary institutions would receive 6,000 openings.
In order to help alleviate personnel shortages in public primary and secondary schools brought on by the implementation of free education, the Commission plans to hire more than 116,000 teachers.
Secondary school interns will receive a stipend of Sh15,000 per month, however statutory deductions will apply. Their primary school equivalents will receive a gross pay of Sh10,000 each month.
Interns who are hired permanently and are eligible for pension benefits are entitled to a salary of between Sh25,692 and Sh30,304 per month.
The teacher’s employer has come under increasing pressure to confirm the interns’ employment on a permanent and pensionable basis. A group of lawyers criticized TSC last year over the contract terms and pay for intern instructors. Parliamentarians have also voiced opposition to TSC’s plan to hire instructors on an internship basis.
When filling permanent and pensionable openings in the past, TSC has given preference to teachers who are currently engaged on contracts. When the positions are posted, it is anticipated that the interns hired will be hired permanently.
