Junior Secondary school teachers demand for better terms of service

Busia,

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

KNA by Salome Alwanda

Busia County KUPPET Executive Secretary Moffats Okisai has criticised the manner in which the Teachers’ Service Commission has categorised and discriminated against the Junior Secondary School Teachers.

Speaking to the press in Busia on Monday, Okisai said that the TSC has created around five categories of the JSS teachers.

“The 2010 constitution is against any form of discrimination and categorisation,” he said.

He added that there are JSS teachers who were recently recruited and permanent and pensionable terms, JSS teachers who were upgraded from primary to secondary and permanent and pensionable terms, senior interns in JSS, the junior interns who have served for one year and the employer is planning to bring another category next year.

The Kuppet branch executive secretary said that fair labour practices demand that employees be given equal pay for equal work yet the JSS teachers are being paid different salaries.

The union official at the same time stated that the decision to domicile JSS in Primary schools should have been subjected to a referendum.

“We expected the learners to transit from class six to Junior secondary in secondary schools instead of changing names from classes to grades,” he said. 

Okisai further said that there was a need to confirm the JSS intern teachers as permanent and pensionable.

“It beats logic for the government to set aside Sh3.9 billion for construction of 15021 classrooms in primary schools,” he claimed adding that there shall be no form-one student in 2025 which means there will be space in secondary schools.

He suggested that the Sh3.9 billion should be used for employment of more teachers and confirming the ones that are currently serving on contract terms.

The Executive Secretary at the same time urged the government to improve their terms and conditions adding that the JSS intern teachers should not be paid Sh17,000 while other government agencies pay Sh25,000 for interns.

“We are asking the TSC to pay intern teachers a minimum of Sh30, 000 due to the current high cost of living,” he said.

Courtesy; KNA