President William Ruto recently clarified his administration’s decision to hire teachers as interns rather than offering them permanent positions. During a town hall session in Kisumu on Thursday, August 29, President Ruto addressed the challenge of an oversupply of trained but unemployed teachers in the country. He explained that this situation limits the number of teachers who can be offered permanent positions.
The President highlighted that hiring teachers on a contractual basis as interns allows more educators to enter the job market while they wait for permanent and pensionable positions to become available.
“We have a significant shortage of teachers and a large pool of trained educators, along with schools that lack sufficient teaching staff. If I had chosen to hire teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, I could have only employed 12,000 or 13,000. Instead, I decided to hire this large pool of unemployed teachers as interns, with the assurance that after two years of internship, they will secure permanent and pensionable positions. They will be confirmed in the next two months,” Ruto explained.
The President also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers, noting that their contributions have led to an increase in student enrollment in the education sector.
Ruto confirmed that the government has provided funds to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to hire all intern teachers. He also addressed concerns raised by some unions that were advocating for a teachers’ strike, pointing out that the government has already resolved the issue by allocating funds for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between the TSC and teachers. He assured that by today or tomorrow, every teacher would receive their salaries and arrears in accordance with the signed CBA, emphasizing that there is no justification for a strike.
In conclusion, President Ruto urged teachers to reconsider their decision to strike, affirming that the government has allocated the necessary resources to meet their demands and fulfill the terms agreed upon in the 2021-2025 CBA between the TSC and teachers.
