President William Ruto has explained his administration’s decision to hire teachers as interns rather than offering them permanent positions. Speaking during a town hall session in Kisumu on Thursday, August 29, President Ruto stated that the country is facing an influx of trained but unemployed teachers, which means that only a limited number can secure permanent employment.
The President emphasized that hiring teachers on a contract basis as interns allows more teachers to enter the job market while they seek permanent and pensionable positions.
“We have a significant shortage of teachers and a large pool of trained teachers, along with schools that lack educators. If I had decided to hire teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, I could only have employed 12,000 or 13,000. Instead, I chose to hire this large pool of unemployed teachers as interns, with the guarantee that after two years of internship, they will secure permanent and pensionable positions. They will now be confirmed in the next two months,” Ruto explained.
The President expressed his gratitude for the efforts of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers, noting that their contributions have led to an increase in the number of students in the education sector.
He confirmed that the government has provided funds to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to hire all intern teachers.
“Some unions are trying to incite teachers to go on strike over an issue that we have already resolved. We have allocated funds for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiated between the TSC and teachers. By today or tomorrow, every teacher will receive their salaries and arrears according to the signed CBA. There is absolutely no justification for anyone to call for a strike,” President Ruto stated.
He urged teachers to reconsider their decision to strike, affirming that the government has allocated the necessary resources to meet their demands. He also assured teachers that funds have been set aside to fulfill the terms agreed upon in the 2021-2025 CBA between the TSC and teachers.
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