Why TSC Hires Intern Teachers First – Nancy Macharia
The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) in Kenya has clarified its strategy for hiring teachers.
The TSC CEO, Nancy Macharia, has revealed that the commission prioritizes hiring intern teachers over permanent and pensionable ones at the outset, with the aim of absorbing them as permanent and pensionable after one year of internship.
This approach is intended to enable the recruitment of more teachers to address the shortage of teachers in the country. Macharia made the comments during a meeting with MPs on Tuesday.
“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 stated that the TSC can only directly hire 8,000 teachers as permanent and pensionable, whereas the commission needs to recruit more teachers. She explained that the interns would become permanent and pensionable in 2025 after serving for a year.
The clarification was made after Narok County Woman MP Rebecca Tonkei inquired about the length of time it takes for interns to become permanent and pensionable.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera also questioned the sustainability of the approach, suggesting that the sector cannot be run solely on interns. He further asked why the TSC did not recruit permanent and pensionable teachers this year and instead waited until 2024.
In response, Macharia said that interns were only temporary and would eventually become permanent and pensionable. She noted that the commission had already absorbed all interns who served in 2022 as permanent and pensionable teachers.
The TSC has announced plans to recruit 35,550 teachers, including 10,000 who will be employed on a permanent and pensionable basis, with the remaining 25,550 to serve as interns.
The commission will hire 9,000 permanent secondary school teachers and 1,000 primary school teachers, while 21,550 slots will be reserved for intern teachers for junior secondary schools. The remaining 4,000 intern teachers will be hired for primary schools.
In conclusion, the TSC’s decision to hire intern teachers first and then absorb them as permanent and pensionable after a year of internship is a strategy aimed at addressing the shortage of teachers in Kenya.
Although the approach has faced criticism from some MPs, the commission remains committed to its recruitment plans, with the hope of ensuring that all students have access to quality education.
Why TSC Hires Intern Teachers First – Nancy Macharia
