By Peter Ochieng
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) has explained why 742 Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers have been shown the door.
TSC in a statement on Tuesday said they were sacked in connection to the JSS intern teachers mass protests to push for permanent employment.
They began the protests across the country on May 13 when schools did reopen for second term, before TSC sent out show-cause letters on May 22, 2024. The teachers in question were required to submit responses within two weeks, failure to which action would be taken against them.
Some of the responses to TSC were said to be satisfactory.
“10,348 who absented themselves from work from May 13, 2024, were given show-cause letters to explain their whereabouts,” the Commission said.
“Of them, 742 teachers who did not report to work and whose whereabouts were not known had their contracts terminated and replaced,” TSC added.
About two weeks ago, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers announced that an agreement had been reached with the Teachers Service Commission, to withdraw show-cause letters sent to Junior Secondary School intern teachers who had been protesting across the country.
KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori, said JSS teachers should return to class by Monday (June 03, 2024) as the show-cause letters ‘had been withdrawn.’
“The union and the Commission have agreed that all show-cause letters and notices to exit earlier issued to the teachers will be withdrawn and normalcy returned to the JSS institutions not later than Monday, June 3 2024,” Misori said.
He said KUPPET’s National Executive Board had facilitated a return-to-work formula for JSS teachers, who had boycotted classes for over two weeks to demand their employment on permanent and pensionable terms.
“Accordingly, punishing the teachers for participating in legitimate labour action would be counterproductive to the stability in the sector, which is the lynchpin of the Competency-Based Curriculum,” he stated.
The SG commended the union’s National Executive Board’s efforts to lobby Parliament for the provision of Sh8.3 billion, for the conversion of 26,000 intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms in July this year.