JSS teachers push for own union, seek delinking from primary school heads

Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers are seeking to be delinked from primary school leadership to reduce what they describe as unnecessary friction.

Currently, JSS teachers operate under the leadership of primary school heads, leading to conflicts, particularly when new JSS recruits are compelled to teach primary classes.

Most JSS teachers are graduates who, under the 8-4-4 curriculum, should ideally be teaching in secondary schools.

Omari Omari, the national chairman of JSS teachers, pointed out that it is time for these educators to function independently.

Speaking at an event in Nairobi where they celebrated World Teachers' Day, the teachers advocated for the establishment of an independent trade union to cater for their interests.

They argued that the current unions, Kenya National Union of Teachers and Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet), have not effectively represented their interests.

During the luncheon organised by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, the teachers urged the government to create a clear command structure for managing JSS teachers.

"The current system that put them under primary school head teachers is untenable," Omari said.

He further expressed concerns about the working environment, saying that many schools are currently "crime scenes" where conflicts arise between JSS teachers and primary school heads.

Others at the event were Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, as well as officials from Kuppet and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

They urged Senator Sifuna to draft legislation to formally delink JSS teachers from primary school management.

Additionally, Omari called for the inclusion of teacher representatives in the TSC, saying that the commission has been operating without any teacher input in its ranks.

Senator Sifuna supported this proposal, recalling that it was part of the ODM's initiatives during the Building Bridges Initiative, which ultimately collapsed in 2022 after being deemed unconstitutional.

"Under the BBI, it was ODM that pushed for this and even proposed the formation of a Health Service Commission to address matters of health, but unfortunately this did not come to pass," Sifuna noted.