TSC gives reasons why it hires intern teachers first

Teachers Service Commission has explained why it chooses to hire intern teachers first, and not permanent and pensionable at once.

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia told MPs on Tuesday that after one year, interns are absorbed as permanent and pensionable.

“If we want to recruit more teachers we have to allow ourselves to have more interns then they will be turned to P and P eventually,” Macharia said.

The CEO said the commission can only take in around 8,000 teachers if they are to directly hire P and P.

“They will be P and P in 2025, they serve as interns for one year then they progress to be absorbed,” she said.

Narok County Woman MP Rebecca Tonkei had inquired how long it takes for an intern to be absorbed.

“If you recruited 20,000 this year what is the plan to have them on P and P and for how long will they be interns?” Tonkei said.

Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera said running the sector on interns is not sustainable.

He inquired why TSC doesn’t want to recruit permanent and pensionable teachers this year.

“What is the reason you don’t want to recruit them this year but you want to recruit them in 2024?” he posed.

All interns who were serving in 2022 were absorbed to be permanent and pensionable teachers.

This is according to a memo signed by TSC director of staffing Joseph Mugele dated January 11.

“The interviews for the exercise commence on January 13 and recruitment documents are scheduled for February 6,” the then memo read.

The director had requested that the interns should not be removed from the payroll.

This, he said, would help in waiting for their employees under the new terms.

In a statement in December, the commission said 10,000 of the teachers will be employed on permanent pensionable terms while 25,550 will be interning.

It said 9,000 of the slots are for permanent secondary school teachers and 1,000 for primary school teachers while 21,550 slots are for intern teachers for Junior secondary schools.

The commission said another 4000 intern teachers will be hired for primary schools.