Murang’a: Murang’a Junior Secondary School teachers staged protests, demanding employment of the 44,000 intern teachers on permanent and pensionable terms. The aggrieved teachers decried poor pay and lack of job security, saying the current terms of employment are detrimental to their well-being.
According to Kenya News Agency, during the protest, Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) Murang’a branch Executive Secretary, Thomas Waweru, described the continued employment of teachers under internship for extended periods as demeaning and against existing labour laws. ‘The prolonged internship is exposing teachers to suffering and the Sh17000 salary is not enough,’ he noted. Waweru highlighted the disparity between intern teachers earning Sh17000 and entry-level teachers who earn about Sh38000, referring to it as modern-day slavery.
He also advocated for the autonomy of Junior Secondary Schools, suggesting it would improve working conditions for JSS teachers. Murang’a KUPPET Chairman Suleiman Salim criticized the union’s national leadership for their failure to advocate for teachers’ rights, emphasizing that this advocacy is the core mandate of the union. ‘We want to express our dissatisfaction with the moves made by the government through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and sadly together with our national union officials,’ he stated, reminding national KUPPET officials of their duty to represent teachers.
Additionally, the branch KUPPET JSS Secretary Polycarp Mutugi highlighted the need for autonomy, noting that under the 2-6-3-3 education system, Junior Secondary School is an independent level and should be treated as such. ‘I am dissatisfied with the government putting us in the comprehensive structure, the 2-6-3-3 education system puts JSS as an independent level,’ he stated.
Meanwhile, one of the intern teachers, Joan Mugweru, expressed that the Sh17,000 shillings paid to intern teachers is insufficient to meet basic needs. ‘At the end of the month we don’t get to enjoy the stipend because trying to budget for the sh. 17000 is stressful,’ Mugweru noted. She urged the government, through the Teachers Service Commission, to improve teachers’ pay to enable them to afford essential necessities and live dignified lives.
