All 46,000 Junior Secondary School teachers will be employed on permanent and pensionable terms, the Kenya Kwanza government has assured.
In a statement following a Parliamentary Group Meeting on Tuesday, National Assembly Finance Committee Chair Kimani Kuria said enough funds have been allocated for that.
"The PG was also informed that adequate funds -KSh18 billion - have been provided for the employment of all 46,000 Junior Secondary teachers who are on internship," Kimani said.
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is also expected to hire 20,000 interns beginning next month to curb the shortage of teachers.
“ The Funds have also been provided to hire 20,000 interns next month. The policy is now to transition teachers from internship to permanent and pensionable terms,” he added.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u had initially proposed an allocation of Sh13.4 billion in the 2024-25 budget to employ Junior Secondary School teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
The Teachers Service Commission while appearing before MPs in mid-May this year quoted a higher amount to be able to employ all 46,000 interns.
According to approximations by the Commission, it would cost Sh30 billion to hire all 46,000 interns into permanent terms by July 1, 2024.
TSC said then that it planned to hire 26,000 intern teachers in January 2025.
The PG was convened just hours before the tabling of the Finance Bill, 2024 in Parliament and in the wake of protests dubbed Occupy Parliament to pressure the National Assembly to reject the bill.
