Thousands of Junior Secondary School teachers, who have been on strike since April 17, 2024, have suspended their industrial action until July 5, 2024.
The intern teachers resolved to suspend their strike to pave the way for the National Assembly to pass the budget.
The 46,000 teachers have further urged their employer, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to employ them on Permanent and Pensionable terms. The graduate teachers were hired as interns in 2019.
Through their national spokesman Mr Omari Omari, the intern JSS teachers further urged TSC to release the circular about their confirmation to Permanent and Pensionable terms immediately after the budget has been passed.
“After a meeting of JSS County leaders, we resolved to suspend our demonstrations to pave the way for Parliament to pass the 2024/2025 budget on Thursday. By that date, we should have gotten communication on the status of the confirmation of the 46,000 teachers,” said Mr Omari.
In a statement, the JSS teachers urged their colleagues to return to class as of June 10, 2024.
“Please note that this means the strike that began on April 17th, 2024 has not been called off, but suspended until July 5, 2024. By that date, we should have gotten communication on the status of the confirmation of the 46,000 teachers,” said Mr Omari.
He said they have had a series of meetings with the National Assembly select committee on labour and its Education counterpart where they presented their demands.
Top among those demands is the confirmation of all the 46,000 interns.
“They agreed to our demands fully and presented them to the budget committee and have tabled the same in parliament and now awaits its passing,” he said.
The committee further requested the striking intern teachers to give TSC time to receive the money and prepare for their immediate recruitment.
“In respect of the seriousness with which they have so far handled our issues, and for the great love and care we have for the children of the poor Kenyan parents, we have decided to take their word and suspend our demonstrations,” he added.
However, he reminded parliamentarians that the ruling made by the courts that internship is illegal still stands.
“After consulting our legal team, we therefore wish to inform them that we shall go to the classes to teach from Monday not as interns, but as volunteers. We are doing this volunteerism because we seem to be the only people in the education sector who care for the children of Mama Mboga,” said Mr Omari.
He said they shall volunteer for the next four weeks to teach. However, if by the 5th of July TSC would not have made a communication on their confirmation they shall return to the streets.
“Teaching is a noble profession and we make sacrifices for the sake of the future of our nation, but TSC and the government cannot take advantage of our caring nature to enslave or exploit us,” said Mr Omari.
“We are still in pain and shocked that the government would actually use qualified teachers for years as slaves in this nation. But a strike is frustrating to our dear poor students. A strike is damaging and frustrating to us teachers. A strike is not something to be cherished,” said Mr Omari.
Last month, the National Assembly Committee on Education urged TSC to convert 26,000 interns to permanent employment beginning July 2024.
