The National Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi confirmed that the government has allocated funds to employ Junior Secondary School teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, starting January 2025.
This statement aims to address and refute any misconceptions about the employment terms for these teachers. Mbadi also apologized for any anxiety caused by earlier uncertainties surrounding the issue. The announcement is expected to provide some relief amid the ongoing concerns in the education sector.
Last week, CS John Mbadi stated that the government was unable to employ Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms due to a budget shortfall. He mentioned that there were no resources to cover the recruitment of additional JSS teachers or the 20,000 teachers reduced in the budget estimates.
The government had initially planned to employ teachers currently on internships with a budget of Ksh 18.3 billion. However, this new confirmation of funding for permanent positions starting January 2025 represents a reversal of the earlier position and aims to address the concerns of the teaching profession.
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The rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 created a budget shortfall of Ksh 346 billion. In response to the financial constraints, the Court of Appeal in June suspended the Employment and Labour Relations Court’s order for the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to convert 46,000 intern teachers’ positions to permanent and pensionable terms.
Justices Asike Makhandia, Sankale Ole Kantai, and Ngenye Macharia’s decision temporarily halted these plans, reflecting the ongoing challenges in addressing budgetary and employment issues within the education sector.
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has argued that the recent court orders by Justice ELRC have disrupted their plans due to unbudgeted costs for hiring the 46,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
TSC’s lawyer, Allan Sitima, claimed that this situation risks violating the constitutional rights of learners in public schools as the Commission lacks the necessary financial resources to meet the new requirements. The teachers will continue working as interns until the court case is resolved.
