Kilifi JSS intern teachers threaten to strike if TSC fails to fulfil demands 

The Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) program could face setbacks if the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) fails to honour the court's decision to hire intern teachers on a Permanent and Pensionable basis (PnP).

On Tuesday, over 1,200 JSS intern teachers in Kilifi threatened to down their tools once schools reopen if their demands are not met.

Andrew Lelei, a JSS intern, expressed concerns that neglecting the needs of teachers could jeopardise the implementation of the CBC, highlighting that intern teachers are crucial for the successful implementation of the curriculum.

He said some Members of Parliament are distributing employment letters to recent graduates, overlooking older graduates who have not yet secured permanent positions.

“We have cases that now the MPs are dishing out the employment letters. Is TSC CEO, Nancy Macharia, aware that the MPs are dishing out those employment forms? We as the interns have suffered all along. They are using us to propel this curriculum and we are not on their payrolls. If they don’t compensate and confirm us, it means now that this curriculum will be compromised,” Lelei said.

The teachers reiterated that the internship is illegal as ordered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC), on April 18, 2024.

Justice Byrum Ongaya ruled that TSC had violated the intern teachers' rights to fair labour practices by hiring them under intern status despite their qualifications and licenses.

“The respondents have failed to show statutory, regulatory, or policy arrangements that allow the first respondent (TSC) to employ interns. Ideally, the TSC should hire registered teachers on fair terms to fulfil optimal staffing needs in public schools,” Justice Ongaya said.

The interns have now given TSC a seven-day ultimatum to address their grievances, failure to which, they will not report back to schools for the second term.

“We want the commission to speak to the public and tell them whether they are the ones supposed to hire teachers or the MPs,” another intern teacher decried.

“Some people are working in hardship areas and are earning Sh17,000 yet we have families that depend on us. We are tired. We are telling the commission that there will be no intern teacher once schools reopen.”

The government introduced CBC in 2017 to replace the traditional 8-4-4 system that was introduced in 1985 by late former President Daniel Arap Moi.

The new system puts emphasis on a learner’s unique talents and abilities rather than focusing wholly on academics and exam performances.

Unlike the 8-4-4 system where learners would spend 8 years of primary education, 4 years in secondary school and 4 years at the university, the CBC curriculum runs on a 2-6-3-3 system of education where basic education has been organized in three levels; Early Years Education, Middle School Education, and Senior School.