Junior Secondary School (JSS) intern teachers stationed in Murang’a county want politicians to keep off the process of teachers’ employment.
The interns have said political interference is skewing the employment of teachers by making employment opportunities accessible to those affiliated with politicians.
This, they said, thins out their chances of getting employed permanently.
The teachers who have served one-year internships in various schools spoke during a press briefing at Murang’a town.
“Our chances of getting permanent employment are so slim because we have no connections to our MPs who have taken over the role of Teachers Service Commission (TSC)”.
Julia Mwangi, a teacher, said political interference breaches the process of teachers' employment and has seen recent graduates employed while others who completed their studies years ago remain unemployed.
Mwangi, however, noted that the year of graduation is one of the criteria considered when the commission is employing teachers.
“We want the commission to come out clearly and announce whether it has given out its powers to politicians to dictate who should be employed," he said.
The teacher said it is appalling that politicians then post on their social media forums that they have helped employ with little regard to the implications of their actions.
She said the field should be governed by policies and structures like other sectors saying politicising it could leave many deserving teachers unemployed.
Mwangi said TSC gave intern JSS teachers contracts that indicated that they would be absorbed permanently after serving for a year.
But the commission, she said, has not given any indications that it will permanently employ them and they may still serve as interns in the coming year.
Polycarp Mutugi said they will continue to agitate for better terms of employment from TSC and will not stop until they are employed permanently.
“Now that TSC has plans to employ teachers next year, it should prioritize those of us who have already served as interns," Mutugi said.
He said it is worrying that the more than 46, 000 JSS teachers working as interns may continue working as interns next year.
“The commission should follow the terms of the contracts we signed and stop trying to double-cross us,” he said.
